Bumble's chief product officer is out. Read CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd's memo about the 'need to sharpen our focus'

• Bumble's chief product officer, Michael Affronti, has left the company.
• Affronti was one of two remaining executives hired before founder Whitney Wolfe Herd took back the CEO role.
• In an end-of-year message to staff, Herd said she had taken a "hard, honest look at where our business stands."

Bumble's chief product officer is out as the result of a recent leadership restructuring within the dating app company, Business Insider confirmed.

Michael Affronti, Bumble's chief product officer and one of two executives who remained after Whitney Wolfe Herd was reinstated as CEO, has left the company after a year in the role.

In an end-of-year message to staff obtained by Business Insider, Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd shared that she and Affronti, who was hired in January 2025, had "mutually agreed that the best path forward for the company is to centralize Product, Engineering, and Design under one leader."

Vivek Sagi, previously the company's chief technology officer, now holds the new title of chief product and technology officer. A source familiar with the matter said that much of Bumble's engineering talent is based in Austin, where Sagi is based.

"I know this news will land differently across the organization," Herd wrote in the December note. "Michael has been a strong leadership presence across Bumble, and I want to thank you all in advance for supporting one another as we move through this transition."

Affronti was one of two remaining executives who worked under Lidiane Jones, who served as Bumble's CEO from January 2024 to March 2025. After Herd, who founded Bumble, announced her return as CEO in 2025, a string of executives left, including the company's CMO, CTO, CLO, and CBO.

David Ard, Bumble's chief people officer, is the only C-suiter left at Bumble who was hired before March 2025, when Herd officially took over.

In her message to staff, Herd described a "year of meaningful transformation for our company."

"Over the past several weeks, and in close partnership with our Board, we've taken a hard, honest look at where our business stands and what our members need from us right now," Herd wrote. "What's become clear is that we need to sharpen our focus so we can stabilize our core, prioritize our product investments with intention, and set ourselves up for a confident return to growth."

Bumble had a rough 2025. The company's stock has fallen 52.35% in the last year.

In response to Herd's note, Affronti sent his own note to the company's staff.

"I have a strong, enduring belief in Bumble's mission and in our ability to return to growth and become a truly massive, category-defining business," Affronti wrote. "I feel incredibly positive about the direction we're heading and the clarity we now have to operate in a way that lets our teams do their best work."

Before joining Bumble, Affronti served as a senior vice president and general manager at Salesforce. Jones, Herd's predecessor, came to Bumble from Salesforce as the former CEO of Slack.

Bumble announced Affronti's hiring on January 6, 2025. 11 days later, the company announced Jones' exit and Herd's reemergence as CEO.

Affronti will now be "cheering loudly from the outside," he wrote in his message.

Read Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd's full message to staff:

Team,

I want to share that, after thoughtful discussion, Michael and I have mutually agreed that the best path forward for the company is to centralize Product, Engineering, and Design under one leader. As a result, Michael will be departing Bumble today. We are incredibly grateful for the impact he has made during his time here and the care he brought to leading his teams, and we wish him the very best in what comes next.

I know this news will land differently across the organization. For many of you who have partnered closely with Michael, it may feel especially significant; for others, it may feel less immediate. Michael has been a strong leadership presence across Bumble, and I want to thank you all in advance for supporting one another as we move through this transition.

Vivek will step in to lead Product alongside Engineering and Design.

Over the past several weeks, and in close partnership with our Board, we've taken a hard, honest look at where our business stands and what our members need from us right now. What's become clear is that we need to sharpen our focus so we can stabilize our core, prioritize our product investments with intention, and set ourselves up for a confident return to growth.

Bringing these functions under one leader will provide clarity, tighter alignment, and a singular focus on what matters most: moving faster and delivering against our roadmap with more value to our members.

Many of our cross-functional teams already know Vivek well - he has been deeply involved in our strategic and technical direction. Vivek has successfully led combined Product and Engineering teams at scale during his career and led them to deliver impact, giving us a proven model to build from. He brings a results oriented, steady, thoughtful approach that will continue to support our times through this next phase of work.

In the coming days, Vivek will connect with leaders across Product to ensure a smooth transition and to provide additional clarity when needed.

This has been a year of meaningful transformation for our company. Through it all, what continues to differentiate us is our talent: your resilience, your ambition, and your commitment to building products that impact our members in the most meaningful way possible. You've chosen to be here for our mission, every day, and I don't take that for granted. That is why we are building an environment where you can do the most impactful work of your career, and your engagement in this next phase is critical to our success.

We remain anchored in our three hubs - London, New York, and Austin - and now is the moment for focus. The path forward will require discipline, pace, and a shared commitment to outcomes. Let's channel our energy toward delivering for our members, our business, and each other.

You will hear more from me on our 2026 strategy during our Global All Hands on Wednesday.

Thank you for your partnership, your confidence, and the work ahead.

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