With so much controversy surrounding dating app Ashley Madison, which was originally designed for affairs, many may not believe it’s doing well. And after the 2015 data breach, in which hackers stole the customer data of 37 million users and posted it online, it would be easy to assume the app was going downhill, but that’s simply not the case.
Paul Keable, chief strategy officer of Ashley Madison, reported that the company has not only grown its membership by nearly 130% since 2015, but has also become more than just the world’s leading dating site for married people. Keable recently sat down with The Blast to share how the app is doing and what to expect in the future.
Ashley Madison thrives despite 2015 data leak
“Life is short. Have an affair.”
The company’s slogan may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it clearly has a fanbase that has grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade despite a controversial data leak in 2015. And even with the Netflix documentary released earlier this year revealing some behind-the-scenes insights into the data leak and the consequences for many users, the app just keeps growing.
“When a consumer-facing brand gets that kind of global advertising or attention, traffic is going to increase. And if there’s interest in what you’re offering, you can tell by whether people are signing up? Are people converting? And we’ve definitely seen that,” Keable told The Blast exclusively.
“We were doing very well before, but we probably saw a 30% increase in new members worldwide because the documentary was the number one show around the world for about a week, maybe two weeks.”
Many of the newer users are Generation Z, Keable said. They may have never heard of the platform or didn’t know it was still in business. Since the pandemic began, Ashley Madison has seen an increase of about 365,000 new users per month. Since its inception, the platform has had more than 85 million members.
People turn to Ashley Madison for “the same reasons”
Ashley Madison offers something unique that other dating apps don’t: the open search for an affair where everyone involved is on the same wavelength.
“We offer something very unique. And I think what sets us apart from other options is that we are a little more open and honest about what we do,” he told The Blast.
“Our slogan is literally, ‘Life is short. Have an affair.’ While we know that sometimes on traditional dating sites there are people looking for this type of activity and pretending to be someone they’re not on these platforms, that’s a really bad experience for a lot of different people. Whereas when you come to us, everyone is looking for the same thing.”
Is cheating helpful or harmful to a relationship?
When asked whether cheating does more harm than good or vice versa, Keable shared his experiences with the app’s success.
“Based on the conversations I’ve had with both our members and my own social circle, I firmly believe that we save more marriages than we end,” he said. “And if you ask anyone of a certain age, usually over 40, if you know anyone in your social circle who has experienced infidelity in their relationship, most people will say yes.”
The Netflix documentary follows a couple who stayed together despite the husband having multiple affairs, including on Ashley Madison. Ten years later, they are still together.
“We often work with a therapist named Dr. Tammy Nelson. Some people enter into these affairs with the intention of getting caught. She calls them can-opener affairs because you’re telling your spouse, ‘I need this, I want this, this is important to me.’ And the spouse may not be hearing that message properly,” Keable explained.
“And then they start an affair with the intention of getting caught, to force the conversation and say, ‘Listen, I was very serious.’ And then people realize that maybe they weren’t listening.”
And although many “various institutions” say that adultery is wrong, it actually happens, and often.
“It’s literally the only sin that appears twice in the Ten Commandments, but we’re inundated with news stories on a daily basis about affairs between celebrities, figures in the world of sports and business,” he said. “And we’re starting to understand the nuances, and part of my job is not to go out and tell people how great affairs are. I’m actually trying to help people understand what affairs really are and what you think.”
“Non-monogamous relationships” also use Ashley Madison
Ashley Madison is not only used by people looking for a secret affair. People in open or non-monogamous relationships also use the app.
“One of the biggest changes we’ve seen in the last three to four years is the rise in what we call open non-monogamous relationships,” Keable explained.
“The people who visit our site may have their partner’s permission or be aware of their activities, but they have been in a relationship for some time and may have children. They don’t want their family, friends and colleagues to know about their interest in this area, so they’re just taking the plunge.”
Keable said it was important for people to understand that this was “a natural human desire” and that it existed all over the world, across all cultures, religions and economic circumstances.
“So before you make a judgment,” he continued, “understand the motivations, the reasoning behind it, and then come to better conclusions.”
Get a Hall Pass for the Olympic Games
According to a survey of 2,078 Ashley Madison members between July 30 and August 6, 2024, 63% said they would give their partner a “free pass” to watch their favorite Olympic athlete. And 42% said they felt like their partner was giving them a “free pass” to watch their favorite Olympic athlete.
(A “hall pass” is an agreement between a couple that one or both of them can have sex with someone else.)
When looking at the gender distribution, women were more generous: 72% compared to 63% said they would give their partner a “free pass”.
The survey also revealed a breakdown of the hottest athletes:
The hottest female athletes:
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Michelle Jenneke (Australia) – 37%
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Penny Oleksiak (Canada) – 18%
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Katie Ledecky (USA) – 10%
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Nicola Olyslagers (Australia) – 9%
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Simone Biles (USA) – 7%
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Duda Lisboa (Brazil) – 6%
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Sha’Carri Richardson (USA) – 5%
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Alejandra Orozco Loza (Mexico) – 4%
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Alice Muraro (Italy) – 4%
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Malaika Mihambo (Germany) – 0%
The hottest male athletes:
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Stefan Bissegger (Switzerland) – 20%
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Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) – 15%
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Léon Marchand (France) – 14%
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LeBron James (USA) – 13%
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Mauro Nespoli (Italy) – 13%
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Nicolás Pizarro (Mexico) – 8%
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John Gimson (Great Britain) – 6%
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Lucarelli (Brazil) – 5%
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Pierce Lepage (Canada) – 3.3%
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Victor Wembanyama (France) – 2.8%
