A Third of Bumble’s Texas Staff ‘Buzz Off’ Due to Abortion Ban
Bumble's new battle against the ‘Heartbeat Act’…
When Texas rolled out its conservative 'Heartbeat Act,' a swarm of Bumble’s workforce decided it was time to buzz off.
At this year's SXSW, tucked away in Austin's hipster heartland, Bumble's legal queen bee, Interim General Counsel Elizabeth Monteleone, dropped some real talk.
A third of Bumble employees in Texas have left in the months since the state passed the controversial abortion SB 8 (Senate Bill 8), choosing body-autonomy over Lone Star State residency.
“We — since SB 8 — have seen a reduction in our Texas workforce by about a third. Those employees are choosing to move elsewhere,” Monteleone told audience at the event, “There are a variety of laws in Texas that I think many people find incompatible with living a healthy life.”
Bumble is eschewing mandatory Austin office face time in order to assist its staff. “We are a remote-first company. We’ve supported employees who’ve chosen to move out of state,” Monteleone explained during the panel which focused on the ‘Healthcare crisis in Post-Roe America.’
Monteleone painted a picture of a company in flux, navigating a landscape where laws feel more out of sync with women’s rights than ever. It's not just the 'Heartbeat Act,' but multiple legislations that have folks questioning if Texas is where they want to plan their future.
Bumble isn't just standing by, though. They've thrown their weight behind challenging the abortion restrictions, making it clear they're all about supporting reproductive rights. The company have come out in support of the lawsuit against the Texas’ abortion law, Zurawski v. State of Texas, filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights.
It’s a fight against rules that put pregnant women in an impossible position, where seeking necessary care could leave their doctors facing serious consequences: lost licences, massive fines, or even jail time. Women caught in this legal tangle are standing up to a system that could force them to continue pregnancies against their will or in the face of health dangers. Some have been pushed to seek help far from home, at great personal risk, while others face the heartbreak of carrying pregnancies that won't result in a birth. It's not just the women and Bumble who are speaking out in favour of Zurawski v. State of Texas, several Texas doctors are also stepping forward, saying the new law makes it impossible for them to safely practise the care they were trained for.
This stance isn't just about ethics; it's smart business. In a world where talent is everything, Monteleone argues that restrictive laws aren't just a personal issue but a professional one. “We know that abortion has an impact on individuals, but there’s a profound negative impact on society as a whole and particularly for businesses,” she told the audience.
Whitney Wolfe Herd is the founder of the ‘female-first’ business
Bumble are cranking up the perks for their employees, covering everything from IVF to gender-affirming care, making it crystal clear: Bumble is betting on a future where freedom and flexibility win out.
Amidst all this high-stakes legal and corporate manoeuvring, let's not miss the irony of it all unfolding around Bumble. The dating app founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd began with the vision of empowering women, and is now navigating a landscape that feels increasingly at odds with that mission.