- Singles in Silicon Valley are having a hard time finding relationships.
- There are several issues at play, including dating app fatigue, culture problems, and skewed ratio of women to men.
- One male tech founder said: “I have a higher confidence in making another million dollars than I do in finding a spouse.”
It’s getting harder and harder to find love in Silicon Valley.
A new story from The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell delves into the dating scene in the Valley, and how the nation’s tech elite are beginning to feeling hopeless about their chances of finding a romantic partner.
The Post cites dating app fatigue as one of the causes. Many dating apps may have originated in the Valley, but singles there are just as tired of swiping through seemingly endless potential matches and leaving their love lives in the hands of algorithms.
Dating apps aren’t the only problem – culture is playing a role, too. According to several young singles the Post spoke to in the San Jose and San Francisco area, many of the men feel “outmatched or overlooked,” while women report feeling turned off by the strange or egotistical men the tech industry can attract.
Here's how one tech founder framed the dismal state of things:
"A 39-year-old San Francisco tech entrepreneur who has given up on dating apps said, 'I have a higher confidence in making another million dollars than I do in finding a spouse.'"
But a larger issue at play is the gender imbalance throughout the Valley. According to Census Bureau data cited by the Post, the male-to-female ratio for young and employed singles in the San Jose area is skewed in comparison with the rest of the country. For every 100 women in the Valley, there are 150 men - that's compared to a 100-125 ratio nationwide.
In fact, the Post reports that some Palo Alto zip codes have 40% more single men than women.
The Post takes a deeper dive into the world of Silicon Valley dating - and some of the other options for love-challenged singles- so head over there for more.