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Of all the<\/span> gay hookup apps Brennan Zubrick uses, Sniffies, a cruising app for men interested in discreet sex-positive casual encounters with other men, is by far his favorite. Some of the most popular kinks among members on the platform include edging, cum play, and BDSM. \u201cI overwhelmingly prefer the experience I get and the community I can access,\u201d he tells WIRED. But Zubrick, who is 40 and based in Washington DC, has a bad feeling that could soon change.<\/p>\n Tinder and Hinge parent company Match Group announced on Monday an investment of $100 million into Sniffies. The deal gives Match Group a large minority share and the choice to become the sole owner later on. The announcement has set off an intense firestorm of reactions from users who are second-guessing the direction of the company, and the longterm sustainability of the app.<\/p>\n \u201cSniffies has long held its market position as the little guy, catering to a specific section of the gay community and is somewhere people who might not be comfortable with Grindr\u2014where no face-pic, no-chat culture runs rampant\u2014go to connect with other like-minded people in a more direct and discreet way,\u201d Zubrick tells WIRED.<\/p>\n \u201cThis partnership is about supporting that, not redefining it,\u201d Sniffies founder and CEO Blake Gallagher said in a statement, noting that the investment will help the platform focus on three key areas users want: \u201cstronger trust and safety, expansive network growth, and continued product improvements.\u201d According to the agreement, Match Group will offer guidance on the right roles, procedures, and tech to help the Sniffies build on its trust and safety efforts.<\/p>\n But users aren\u2019t buying what Gallagher is selling. The Instagram post announcing the news was inundated with negative reactions, as users expressed worry over the strategic partnership. \u201cPlease don\u2019t let this be the straightification of sniffies,\u201d expressed one. \u201cYou sold out. Plain and simple. Where we moving to next boys?\u201d added Marc Sundstrom, a user in Philadelphia. \u201cPartnering with Match feels very gentrified and straight. Highly concerned about the app being allowed to be what it is in order to court investors,\u201d wrote another. By Tuesday afternoon, comments on the post had been shut off.<\/p>\n Though it remains to be seen how Gallagher will position Sniffies in the months ahead, already users are saying this marks the beginning of the end for the app. \u201cStraight people shouldn\u2019t even know what Sniffies is<\/em> for fuck sake,\u201d one wrote in the r\/askgaybros subreddit. And despite promises, some say a major corporation like Match is not ethically aligned with the indie spirit of Sniffies. On LinkedIn, the top comment under Gallagher\u2019s post questioned the real intent behind Match Group\u2019s investment. \u201cInterested to see how ties to Palantir affect Sniffies\u2019 growth. Hopefully this doesn\u2019t become a surveillance application.\u201d<\/p>\n Spencer Rascoff, who became CEO of Match Group in 2025, previously served on the board of Palantir, the defense tech and data mining company that has become a \u201ctechnological backbone\u201d of the Trump administration.<\/p>\n Sniffies maintains that it will continue to own and control how its user data is stored, handled, and protected. According to the company, there are no changes planned to its data practices as part of the investment.<\/p>\n But the outrage underscores the significance of platforms like Sniffies, and what it would mean to a community of people who already feel like they have so few quality options for seeking desire online.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a mess and obviously to be expected. It\u2019s definitely an indicator of its fast rise, so no shade, but we saw what happened with Grindr,\u201d says Brad Allen, a 34-year-old event producer and the creator behind Club Quarantine who joined Sniffies in 2023. \u201cI really am pulling for them to somehow navigate this differently since it\u2019s essential to the cruising community now. Hopefully the pop-up Candy Crush ads don\u2019t light up too much in the bushes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n