A calendar month ago , I was approach byJerry Guo , ostensible Silicon Alley wunderkindwho’d turned $ 400 in transportation money intoGrouper , a profitable dating startup . He guarantee me a great time with “ 3 veridical girls . ” Update : Guo apologizes ( sorta )
http://gawker.com/5844406/let-an-infamous-media-liar-set-you-up-on-a-group-blind-date
The whole situation ’s a lie .
I was interested in the idea of a group date , even as a suspect deflection . It ’s a bizarre idea : a three - on - three unreasoning date . So certain , why not ? It ’d go awfully , of course — but it ’d be something to publish about , and a novel take on on-line geological dating , for a change . So I gave Jerry a “ Sure , why not ” response , and assumed the rest would be smooth from there .
Besides , it sounded kind of engrossing ! At least in the way Jerry account it :
We have a 2:1 girl : guy ratio decent now and it ’s pretty much the only app I can think of where after 1 min of oeuvre ( afford us your FB credentials ) you’re able to run into 3 real girls and where we ’ve done all the study , include setting up reservations at an awesome lounge . Also some really cool tech on the backend in price of matching / logistics .
Girls ! coolheaded technical school ! Logistics ! Facebook integration ! This was some next level cyberlove dogshit , and I want to peek behind the curtain . I asked Jerry for more information on what he called a “ ( very advanced ) logistical engine , ” and he institutionalize me some double of their back remainder .
There was no algorithm . No sophisticated logistics engine . Just a list of names .
Next to them was the income they ’d listed for themselves , along with other , extremely mundane information . Grouper is the equivalent weight of pick six names out of a hat , and hoping they all swot . Oh , and of class , Jerry ’s making $ 20 a head for everyone hoping for triple date action . The cost to him ? However much time it accept to pluck three girls for three cat , and Google a legal community for them to meet at . This is a low - split operation . While I was figuring this out , I was meet perpetual calls from Jerry , still hoping I ’d go out on a false date I knew was cobble together from the pile of one-half baked cyberspace schlock . Multiple call , every day .
We eventually cash in one’s chips on the date . The moderately - ominously mention to “ lady friend ” Jerry go along promise us materialized , and we basically immediately dash them off . The whole thing lasted less than 10 minutes .
So it ’s no surprise he ’s been called out as a fraudulence . It’snot the first clock time , after all . And it ’s no surprise he’sabandoning Grouper already . His site is an empty husk . I ’ve talk to the people at Match.com — they apply integral squad to endeavor to predict who ’ll spark some lusty winks with a alien . There ’s serious skill put into these serious dating site . Grouper , on the other hand , is a charlatan ’s Russian roulette — only the grease-gun ’s against your headland . The bad case scenario , that you ’re out $ 20 and a few hours of your spirit , is n’t so bad . But in the meantime , Jerry ’s foist himself upon the tech scene as a pioneer , trailblazer , and matchmaker . He ’s none of these things — just a lazy sham who ’s horny for attention , and access to your Facebook news report .
Update : Jerry Guo’sposted an apologia on his Tumblr , BetaBeat report , though not for go a shitty website . Rather , he ’s fessing up to sham to be a diary keeper to gain insider knowledge from another social meshwork so that he could make say icky website . At least he ’s on the righteous path to expiation .
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