New year, new Wiki
Wikipedia — one of the world’s most visited websites — just got its first makeover in more than a decade.
There’s a new search tool, an easier way to switch languages, a more dynamic table of contents section and a lot more white space, which one of our writers described as looking like a Google Doc — but even these relatively-subtle updates have managed to ignite anger in some corners of the internet.
The hit factory
Founded in 2001, Wikipedia has become an integral part of the internet thanks to the tireless efforts of unpaid Wikipedians who contribute millions of entries and edits across the 329 language editions of the site.
Wikipedia’s English-language version racks up more than 10 billion pageviews a month. For context, the largest news sites in the world usually get somewhere between 100-500 million hits a month. In fact, the websites for 4 of America’s biggest news titans, The NYTimes, CNN, MSN & Fox News, only got 1.6 billion hits in December, less than one-fifth of what English-language Wiki managed.
Despite the potential to make billions from advertising, Wikipedia remains a not-for-profit entity. As you’ll likely know from its regular pop-up requests for contributions, the parent organization — the Wikimedia Foundation — relies almost solely on reader donations, taking in over $150m from generous Wiki fans last year. The majority of that does get spent, primarily on personnel and infrastructure costs for the foundation itself, although the organization also gave out ~$15m of awards and grants in 2022, which helped to fund community-led projects that further the mission of the foundation.
Highly motivated swipers
Dating giant Match Group is bumping up its most expensive subscription level on dating app Hinge to $60 a month, or $720 a year. That price point nearly doubles the current highest membership tier of $35 a month, as the company seeks “highly motivated daters” that are hoping to increase their chances of finding the one.
The motto for popular dating app Hinge, which Match Group classifies as one of its emerging brands, is that it's “designed to be deleted”. Although that might not feel like a sound business model, it's one that's actually remarkably profitable. In its most recent full year, Match Group made nearly $3bn in revenue, eking out a margin of nearly 30% despite high sales & marketing expenses.
With roots tracing back to Match.com in the 1990s, Match Group was officially formed after holding company IAC decided to bundle all of its dating businesses in 2009. Since then, the conglomerate has been on a buying spree, acquiring multiple dating brands, though Tinder remains Match Group's crown jewel. In 2021, Tinder swipers coughed up nearly $1.7bn to the app, outperforming all of the company's other 45+ brands combined, which includes Match.com, Hinge, OkCupid and PlentyOfFish. Surprisingly, unlike so many other online enterprises, just 2% of Match's revenue came from advertising, with the vast majority coming directly from paying users.
The attractive economics of a dating app, despite the pitfalls and safety issues associated with running one, have seen hundreds of competitors enter the market, with an increasing number of niche options for love-seekers. From apps that offer exclusive dating pools with celebrities to ones that help find other singles with the same food allergies, these days there's an app for everyone, and a premium paid option for serious swipers.
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