Several key terms have not been disclosed. Board approval has not been reported, and Blackstone's role is unclear. The private equity firm took a majority stake in Bumble's parent, then called MagicLab, in 2019 at a valuation of about $3 billion. Financing terms are also unknown. Morgan Stanley was hired in June to explore a sale, according to Reuters. Bumble and Ithaca have not confirmed the talks.
The valuation is a steep fall. Bumble debuted on Nasdaq in February 2021 at $43 a share, near a $14 billion valuation, so a $1 billion price is about 7% of that level. Paying users fell more than 11% in 2025 to about 3.7 million, and revenue dropped nearly 10% to roughly $966 million. Still, the figure is a substantial premium over the company's pre-report market capitalization of roughly $335 million to $389 million. Attorneys advising on take-privates should watch for a formal announcement, the board's special committee process, the treatment of Wolfe Herd's rollover, and any Blackstone disclosures. One analyst has argued that going private signals that Bumble's current strategy is failing, not that it is a strategic win.