Startups #hotornot#dating apps
Hot or Not Built the Internet We’re Still Swiping Through, 26 Years Later
Hot or Not, launched in 2000, converted human judgment about attractiveness into structured data at web scale, according to WIRED. Its mutual-opt-in mechanic became the basis for Tinder's swipe, and two decades later Bumble and Match Group are retreating from the format amid dating app fatigue.
Aug 19, 2026 1 source