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Tinder brings back founder Sean Rad as CEO

Tinder has a new CEO — again.

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Founder Sean Rad is stepping back into the role of CEO, reports Re/code's Kara Swisher. He had previously stepped away from the dating app in November 2014

Chris Payne, who had been serving CEO, only lasted five months at the position. The experienced Microsoft and eBay executive was hired in March 2015 to lead Tinder. 

Tinder's Sean Rad
Getty

In an interview with board member and Benchmark partner Matt Cohler, Swisher reported for Re/Code that it wasn't going to be a "long-term fit." 

"It’s only been a few months, but everyone came to the realization, the board and Christopher, and all agreed it wouldn’t work out long term,” Cohler told Re/Code. Business Insider has reached out to Tinder for additional comment and will update if we hear back.

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Rad had originally left the role as CEO because the company was looking for a more experienced, "Eric Schmidt-like person" as the company's next CEO. However, insiders told Forbes at the time of Rad's original departure that Tinder's recent sexual-harassment lawsuit was also to blame for Rad's leaving the company.

Tinder's ousted cofounder Whitney Wolfe accused Rad, as well as cofounder Justin Mateen, of sexually harassing her. The suit was settled in September 2014, with Forbes reporting that Wolfe gained over $1 million in the settlement.

Rad has remained active at the company, though, leading a lot of its product development. In May, Rad took the stage at Tech Crunch Disrupt to defend the company's new Tinder Plus program, which charged users different amounts based on their age. He also complimented now-ousted Payne on his work at the company. "Chris is wonderful. I'm already learning so much from him," Rad said in May. "He's bringing a level of maturity and experience we didn't have before."

Tinder may have lacked maturity this week, though, after it went on a ballistic Twitter rant aimed at Vanity Fair journalist. It has since said that the company "overreacted" — although there's still evidence that this all may have been an elaborate PR stunt all along.

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