Grindr’s New Out Gay CEO Is In Hot Water Over Past Pro-Trump Tweets

Grindr’s new CEO is in some hot water after past pro-Republican and pro-Trump tweets resurface. 

In May, Grindr announced plans to go public in a merger deal that would value the company at $2.1 billion.

George Arison, 44, who was tapped to lead Grindr through this process in September will step into the role on October 19.

At the time, outgoing CEO Jeff Bonforte said that Grindr “had the potential to be an amazing business, wholly focused on serving the LGBTQ+ community.

“Key to the plan was finding long-term leadership for the business that had not only deep professional experience, but also the life experience to understand the unique and very real challenges facing the global LGBTQ+ community.”

Past Tweets Fuel Controversy

However, tweets written by Arison have resurfaced that may contradict that. 

In one tweet, posted on February 22, 2000, during the Democratic Primary, Arison wrote, “[Former New York City Mayor]Bloomberg is the only candidate who has any shot at beating Trump.” 

He then added, “FYI I am a conservative & agree with some Trump policies. I think at least 10% of Republican voters and 1/3 of moderate independents are the same (like some Trump policies, can’t stand having him in office). So Dems need a nominee who can tap into this electoral spectrum.”

https://twitter.com/georgearison/status/1233469085725396993

In another tweet he praised conservative Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, saying, “A lot of reporters been saying McConnell has no policy goals – pretty wrong, we below – to kill $3.5T plan, or cut it down a lot (which he’s done pretty well so far). You can think whatever you want of his policies, but can’t not admire how good he is at achieving what he wants.”

https://twitter.com/georgearison/status/1445817873625075720

Author and University of Massachusets Boston professor Aaron Lecklider commented on each, “Your new Grindr CEO, folks.”

Your new Grindr CEO folks.

Romney was my governor and was at the forefront of efforts to amend the MA state constitution to define marriage as one man and one woman. https://t.co/OEEm0ZcvhG

— Aaron Lecklider (@AaronLecklider) October 11, 2022

In response to an inquiry from Queerty, a Grindr spokesperson said, “George is an out gay man, proudly married to his husband and the father of two children. George is passionate about fighting for the rights and freedoms of LGBTQ people around the world.”

According to Bloomberg, Arison is one of few openly gay men leading a public company. Prior to being appointed, he was CEO of Shift Technologies Incorporated, an auto e-commerce marketplace.

Grindr, which describes itself as “the world’s largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people,” had, according to Financial Times, 10.8 million users; 723,000 of which are paying subscribers. Subscriptions make up the majority of the company’s income.

Some of Grindr’s main competitors include Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble.