Grindr announced second-quarter financial results showing revenue of $138 million, representing a 33% increase compared to the prior year period. The company also raised its full-year 2026 guidance, now projecting approximately $540 million in revenue and approximately $232 million in adjusted EBITDA.
Chief Executive Officer George Arison attributed the company’s strong performance to an artificial intelligence strategy deployed across multiple areas of the business. Beyond consumer-facing features, Grindr has integrated AI tools into its engineering operations to accelerate software development. Between July 2025 and April 2026, the company’s total engineering output increased approximately 2.5 times while maintaining a consistent engineering team size. According to the company’s earnings presentation, achieving that level of productivity growth through traditional hiring would have required approximately 200 additional engineers and roughly $60 million in annual costs.
Arison stated that Grindr budgeted approximately $6 million for large language model token spending during the year, noting that the productivity gains justified this expenditure at a ratio of roughly 10 times the investment. The company has implemented coding assistants and development tools from providers including Cursor, Anthropic’s Claude, and Devin. Grindr has not eliminated positions due to AI adoption but has expanded its use of these technologies across the development organization.
The company is testing Edge, an AI-powered premium subscription tier, in select markets including New York, where pricing reaches as high as $350 per month. Initial results have diverged from management expectations. The company anticipated that Edge would primarily attract existing premium subscribers, but early data showed adoption from a broader customer base, including individuals without existing premium subscriptions. Arison indicated satisfaction with test results, though the company did not disclose specific subscriber numbers or confirm final pricing.
Grindr’s paying user count reached 1.4 million in the second quarter, reflecting 16% year-over-year growth, while average revenue per paying user increased 12% to $25.51. The company reported that subscriber retention remained stronger than anticipated despite recent price increases across its membership tiers.
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