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Tinder Fires Employees Who Sued Company

By William Vogeler, Esq. on December 19, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

In an unexpected and very public move, Tinder swiped left at some of its high-level employees.

Rosette Pambakian, the vice president of marketing and communications, has been fired along with others embroiled in a lawsuit against Tinder's parent company Match Group. Among her allegations, Pambakian says the former chief executive officer sexually assaulted her.

The lawsuit has been going on for months, but the firings drive another stake in Tinder's heart. In any case, it's not a good look for a company that prides itself on matchmaking.

Swiping Left

With the Tinder app, users can swipe left or right on their screens to indicate their interest in another user's profile. Sometimes neither party is interested.

In her case against Match, Pambakian said she was not interested in CEO Greg Blatt. He allegedly sexually harassed and groped her in front of subordinates.

After getting fired, Pambakian sent an email to Match to make her case. The company was not interested. In back-and-forth email exchanges, the parties play out an epic Tinder drama.

"I never imagined that I'd be pushed out of my company for standing up for what is right," Pambakian wrote. "But if that is the cost of being on the right side of history, I'll pay it."

Blame the Lawyers

Mandy Ginsberg, Match's new CEO, said Pambakian wasn't terminated for reporting sexual harassment. Ginsberg claimed that Pambakian never complained about Blatt until the lawsuit.

In her email, Ginsberg said Pambakian was fired because she was unable to do her job. She partially blamed it on her lawyers.

"Unfortunately, it's impossible for you to do your work at Tinder if all communications related to your job have to go through your lawyers," Ginsberg wrote.

Sounds like a match not made in heaven.

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