![](https://s24806.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/BernardKim-970.jpg)
Match Group CEO Bernard Kim [Images: Match Group, Kathy Schuh Photography]
John Riccitiello
Former CEO of Electronic Arts
.…on how Match Group CEO Bernard Kim is leveraging his background in mobile gaming to “level up” dating apps, via the Wall Street Journal.
![](https://s24806.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Screen-Shot-2017-10-01-at-12.42.04-PM-e1506880190392.png)
When Dallas-based Match Group snagged Bernard Kim as its new CEO in 2022, he was president of mobile game maker Zynga, where he was credited with boosting Zynga’s market cap on the way to its $12.7 billion acquisition by Take-Two Interactive. Since then, he’s been trying to “level up” Match’s dating apps by getting users to pay extra for services so they’ll “win” in the game of love, according to a new profile in the Wall Street Journal.
“When the gods came together and wanted to create the ultimate gamer, they created Bernard,” Barry Cottle, CEO of Scientific Games Interactive, told the WSJ.
With Match Group now valued at more than $9 billion, the stakes of this game are high—including a recent 6.6% investment in the company by activist hedge fund Starboard Value, the WSJ reported.
You can read all about Kim’s gamer DNA—and why he believes finding “the one” is “an immeasurable reward”—in the WSJ story here.
For more of who said what about all things North Texas, check out Every Last Word.
![](https://s24806.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Screen-Shot-2017-10-01-at-12.42.04-PM-e1506880190392.png)
Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.
Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.
R E A D N E X T
-
Dating apps can be a great way to find romance. But increasingly, according to the Wall Street Journal, users are finding something else instead: business come-ons from tech recruiters, networkers, children's book authors, and more.
-
Known in shorthand as AYS?, the anti-harassment feature provides a warning in real-time to users about their opening line. The feature uses automated tools to detect potentially harmful language, then asks the user to review and consider editing it before hitting "send."
-
Jay Shetty, a popular podcast host and author of bestselling books 'Think Like a Monk' and '8 Rules of Love,' will reimagine dating advice on the Dallas-based dating giant's app. In a recent TikTok video, Shetty said, "Dating is hard, I know. That's why I'm so excited to announce I am partnering with Match as their Relationship Advisor."
-
Veteran executives Laura Jones and Spencer Rascoff have been appointed to the Match Group's board of directors, effective immediately. Match Group Chairman Tom McInerney expressed enthusiasm about the new board members, highlighting the unique contributions they're poised to bring. Welcoming Jones and Rascoof is a step towards enhancing the board's collective expertise, which is crucial for its strategic goals, McInerney said in a statement. He noted Jones' expertise in shaping brands and fueling growth through her marketing prowess, and lauded Rascoff's entrepreneurial success in scaling consumer internet businesses. "This is a time of great opportunity for Match Group, and we…
-
Opening this Friday, the exhibition at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum offers a pathway to stories centered around "women's labor activism, the fight for suffrage and equal rights, the sexual revolution, and more."