Seeking.com (formerly known as SeekingArrangement)[3] is an American online dating service[4] founded by Brandon Wade in San Francisco, California, in 2006. Wade was previously the CEO of the company[5] until June 2022 when he was succeeded by Ruben Buell, who will serve as CEO of Reflex Media, the company that maintains Seeking.com.
 | |
Type of site | Online dating service Social network service |
|---|---|
| Available in | English, Spanish, Mandarin, French, German, Russian, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese |
| Owner | Brandon Wade |
| Revenue | US$40,000,000 (2016)[1] |
| URL | seeking |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Yes |
| Users | 46,000,000+ (2024)[2] |
| Launched | 2006 |
| Current status | Active |
History
editSeeking.com was founded as SeekingArrangement.com in 2006 by Brandon Wade, who was born in Singapore and later moved to the U.S. to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[1][6]
By 2009, the website reported more than 300,000 registered members and had an active blog in which users debated different subjects related to sugar dating.[4]
When the 2012 Republican National Convention took place in Tampa Bay, Florida, the website saw a 25.9% increase of site users stemming from this geographic area. This increase translates to the average of 1,823 daily users increasing to 2,295 accessing the site at this reported time.[7] According to The Huffington Post, among the 200,000 Sugar Daddy users, 42.1% reportedly identify as Republicans and 34.9% as Democrats.[7]
In October 2013, the website had a surge in registrations during the U.S. federal government shutdown.[8]
In 2016, Doug Richard admitted to sexual activity with a 13-year-old girl met through SeekingArrangement, believing her to be 17 at the time. The court heard that the 13-year-old girl in question told Richard on a number of occasions that she was 17.[9] On January 29, 2016, Richard was cleared of all charges brought against him by a unanimous jury decision.[10]
By 2016, the website reported having five million members and that it generated nearly US$40,000,000 in revenue each year.[1]
In 2021, The New York Times reported that Joel Greenberg, the former Seminole County tax collector indicted on federal sex trafficking charges, used the site to meet women. United States Representative Matt Gaetz also allegedly used the site.[11]
By February 2022, the website had completed a rebrand to Seeking.com as part of a strategy advertising shift.[12] In June 2022, the website's founder Wade stepped down as CEO and was succeeded by Ruben Buell, who will serve as CEO of Reflex Media, the company that maintains Seeking.com and several other similar websites.[13]
College users
editIn 2010, the website began offering free Premium Memberships to students who registered using their university email addresses.[14] By January 2013, the website reported 2 million users, of which 44 percent were college students after seeing a significant increase in college students registering for the site compared to the previous year.[15]
In 2014, over 1.4 million students were registered on the website.[16] Requests from Sugar Babies varied from assistance with college expenses to monthly allowances for living expenses.[17]
In 2015, SeekingArrangement released a list of the top 20 colleges attended by women using the website as sugar babies. The number one university on the list was the University of Texas. Other information on sugar babies was also provided such as the average allowance and a breakdown of what women spent it on.
Operations
editThe company's business model is based on a membership system. Members are able to register for site services free of charge, which provides them with a limited number of messages. Members have the option to purchase credits for expanded messaging privileges on either a monthly or annual basis with Premium and Diamond Memberships.[18] The website is used in more 130 countries and includes versions of the interface in eight languages.[2][19] The company headquarters is presently located in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are additional offices located in Ukraine and Singapore.
References
edit- ^ a b c Chung, Frank (May 2, 2016). "Seeking Arrangement: How shy Brandon Wade became the Sugar Daddy king". News.com.au. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ a b "About Us | Learn More About Dating Up on Seeking.com". Seeking.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ "We're All a Bunch of Gold Diggers, New Survey Says". MEL Magazine. April 22, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ a b Padawer, Ruth (April 10, 2009). "Making It Easy for "Sugar Daddies" to Connect With "Sugar Babies"". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ Wade, Brandon (September 25, 2014). "Dating website founder says love doesn't exist". CNN. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
- ^ Koppel, Nathan (August 17, 2011). "A Q&A With Brandon Wade, Mr. Sugar Daddy". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
- ^ a b Gray, Emma (September 5, 2012). "Sugar Daddy RNC? SeekingArrangement.com Claims Traffic Boost From Republican Convention". Huffington Post.
- ^ Hu, Elise (October 5, 2013). "U.S. Shutdown May Be Driving Traffic To 'Sugar Daddy' Sites". NPR. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ "Dragons' Den star 'paid for sex with 13-year-old girl'". BBC News. January 25, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ Cheston, Paul (January 29, 2016). "Doug Richard trial: Former Dragons' Den star who slept with girl, 13, cleared of sex offences". London Evening Standard.
- ^ Benner, Katie; Schmidt, Michael S. (April 2, 2021). "Justice Dept. Inquiry Into Matt Gaetz Said to Be Focused on Cash Paid to Women". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ Matyszczyk, Chris (February 15, 2022). "Sugar daddy dating site CEO uses his own creation to see the light". ZDNet. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ Medal, Andrew (June 28, 2022). "Action and Ambition: Ruben Buell On Utilizing Technology To Create Flexibility and Solve Real-World Problems". Entrepreneur. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ Motz, Tracy (February 9, 2014). "Sugar daddy website has coeds justifying prostitution". New York Post. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
- ^ Waldron, Ben (January 17, 2013). "Economy May Be Fueling 'Sugar Daddy' Business, Site Suggests". ABC News. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- ^ Maimann, Kevin (January 27, 2015). "As education costs rise, students seek out 'sugar daddies'". melfortjournal.com. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
- ^ Goldberg, Stephanie (February 26, 2013). "College 'sugar babies' date for cash". CNN. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
- ^ Berliet, Melanie (May 2010). "Desperately Sugar Daddies". Vanity Fair.
- ^ "Bottom of Page Language LIst". SeekingArrangement. Retrieved February 25, 2015.