GoKawiilGeorge Arison, chief executive officer of Grindr, in New York, US, on Thursday, June 4, 2026.
Grindr is betting that artificial intelligence can do more than just improve the dating app experience.
It believes AI can simultaneously create a new premium subscription business while also dramatically changing how quickly its engineers build software.
"Our strategy has always been to use AI everywhere we can," said CEO George Arison in an exclusive interview with CNBC.
The LGBTQ-focused dating platform on Thursday reported second-quarter revenue of $138 million, up 33% from a year ago. The company also raised its 2026 guidance and now expects full-year revenue of approximately $540 million, up from $535 million, and adjusted EBITDA of approximately $232 million, up from $227 million.
Arison said the company's results are early evidence that his AI strategy is starting to pay off.
Rather than focusing solely on consumer-facing features like its new premium AI companion called "Edge," Arison is also deploying AI across its business to reduce the cost and time required to build new software products.
Grindr estimated that total engineering output increased roughly 2.5 times between July 2025 and April 2026, the earnings presentation showed, despite maintaining roughly the same-sized engineering team.
"Before GenAI, producing that much technical output would have required roughly 200 additional engineers and approximately $60 million in annual cost," the earnings presentation said.