​​Swiped director explains capturing Whitney Wolfe Herd’s story – but with NDAs preventing speaking with her

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Biographical movies usually fall into one of two types: those made with the cooperation of the subject or their family, and those that are based on a partly fictionalized account of their life. The new film *Swiped*, about the world of tech, falls into the second category.

Director Rachel Lee Goldenberg was drawn to Whitney Wolfe Herd’s remarkable story – a woman who overcame challenges in a male-led world, starting as a co-founder of Tinder and later creating the dating app Bumble.

Because of a confidentiality agreement she signed when leaving Tinder, Whitney Wolfe Herd is prohibited from discussing her experiences there. This restriction stems from accusations of sexual harassment she made against former coworkers, which Tinder settled out of court for an undisclosed amount, without admitting any fault.

Sharing this story felt like a big weight on my shoulders, particularly since I wasn’t able to talk to the person it was about. My writing partner and our entire team felt it was crucial to be as thorough as possible with our research.

We did a deep dive into everything we could find about this case. That included interviews with people involved, countless articles, and all the court records, which are publicly available. We even went through old social media posts, looking for clues – like old Vines – to understand the relationships between people and when things started happening.

Of course, some parts of the story were invented to fill in the missing pieces of Whitney Wolfe Herd’s life. As she explained, while the story was shaped for narrative purposes, it was built on a foundation of thorough research.

Despite the non-disclosure agreement, Goldenberg was determined to share this compelling story, believing it was an inspiring example of a woman who overcame immense hardship to achieve remarkable success.

I came across interviews and articles where she discussed facing difficult periods, and also admitted to initially contributing to a competitive environment where she felt like only one woman could succeed. She explained how she’d played into the ‘boys’ club’ mentality to advance her career.

I really connected with that story and thought the character showed a wonderful way to grow and move forward. It wasn’t just a movie to me; it felt like a film I was meant to create myself.

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2025-09-21 11:34