MARKETWATCH – July 27 - Grant Langston has taken over from co-founder Neil Clark Warren.
Q: What was your previous position?
A: VP of brand marketing.
Q: There must have been a few people interested in the job.
A: We do not have a lot of people in the senior ranks at eHarmony.
Q: What have you learned from Neil Clark Warren?
A: He's a guy who's about authenticity even when it's not cool to be himself. There's no pretense. He's an emotional and real person and he's not afraid to let that show.
Q: This is your 16th year at eHarmony. What have been your most challenging times?
A: When we launched Jazzed, a casual dating product. We went through a period where we didn't know who we were. We found ourselves without any real fans. We had to get back to our mission.
Q: I don't blame you for giving it a shot. If you invented Tinder, you probably wouldn't be complaining.
A: Maybe.
Q: Tinder is responsible for relationships too. It just puts swiping photos at the forefront because physical attraction is important too.
A: A lot of people misunderstand our opinion on physical attraction. We just don't want it to be the primary criteria by which people kick off relationships. We have tried to do research for things that correlate with a happy relationship, which is proven through science.
Q: So what do you mean by things that correlate for a happy relationship?
A: Ambition. If one person is a go-getter and the other person likes to spend a lot of time on the couch, that causes friction. The more you have, the more it's going to matter.
Q: How many members do you have?
A: We have ~750k members.
Q: What's happening with Compatible Partners?
A: It's very profitable.
Q: What changes are afoot?
A: The apps need to be much easier to use.
