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The Right Stuff (app)

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This article is about the dating app for American conservatives. For the dating website for highly educated individuals, see The Right Stuff (dating web site). For other uses, see The Right Stuff.

The Right Stuff: Dating Right
Original author(s)John McEntee
Developer(s)Right Stuff App, Inc
Initial releaseSeptember 30, 2022[1]
Operating systemiOS
Websitewww.daterightstuff.com

The Right Stuff is a dating app for American Republicans and conservatives. It was founded by John McEntee, Daniel Huff, and Isaac Stalzer[2][3] and is funded by Peter Thiel.[4][5]

History

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The Right Stuff was founded by John McEntee, Daniel Huff,[6][7] and Isaac Stalzer.[8] Peter Thiel funded The Right Stuff with a seed round investment of $1.5 million.[4][9] The New York Times reported in February 2022 that Thiel was funding the app as part of a larger effort to also finance "hard-right" political candidates with Trumpian views (though Thiel would later back away from this strategy).[10][4][11]

The Right Stuff is part of a larger trend among conservatives to create alternatives to a media culture they see as dominated by the political left.[12]

The app was launched on September 30, 2022.[1] The Daily Beast reported that it generated 6,000 and 7,000 downloads in its first two days on the Apple App Store, before falling to 1,000 per day between October 8 and 10.[1][13]

The app has a number of features intended to weed out internet trolls, such as by being invite-only, and also requiring manual approval of each new user by the company itself. The app also has terms and features intended to enforce its political leanings, such as by prohibiting mention of gay relationships (despite the app being funded by Thiel, a married gay billionaire.)[14][15]

Marketing

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Its tagline is "A dating app for the right wing" and "Profiles without Pronouns."[16] A promotional video featuring Ryann McEnany, the sister of former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, was released in August 2022.[17][18]

Reception

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The app received mainly negative reviews from users,[14][19][1][20][21] with a 2.4 star rating in the Apple App Store as of October 4, 2022.[20] Criticism was directed at the app's invite-only model,[1][20][21] a conspicuous absence of female users,[21][22] and the company's slowness in approving new user profiles,[1] as well as a prompt that began "January 6 was..."; some users said that the FBI contacted them after they answered the prompt.[20][21][23] A spokesperson for The Right Stuff told The Independent that it had determined the reports of FBI contact were false, and attributed them to "people trolling".[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Kirsch, Noah; Petrizzo, Zachary (October 13, 2022). "Is the Honeymoon Already Over for Right-Wing Dating App?". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  2. ^ Cerullo, Megan (August 11, 2022). "Former Trump staffer launching conservative dating app The Right Stuff". CBS News. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  3. ^ Ritchel, Chelsea (August 12, 2022). "People are mocking new conservative dating app: 'Can't wait to not sign up'". The Independent. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Fischer, Sara (February 15, 2022). "Peter Thiel backs conservative dating app The Right Stuff". Axios. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
  5. ^ "Peter Thiel finances conservative dating site The Right Stuff". Fortune. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  6. ^ Snider, Mike. "Dating app for conservatives backed by Trump supporters to launch in September". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  7. ^ Fischer, Sara (February 15, 2022). "Peter Thiel backs conservative dating app The Right Stuff". Axios. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  8. ^ "The Right Stuff, a dating app for conservatives, launches this fall". FOX TV Digital Team. August 15, 2022. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  9. ^ Brooks, Emily (July 4, 2022). "Swipe right (wing): Former Trump aides seek singles for Thiel-backed dating app". The Hill. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  10. ^ Mac, Ryan; Lerer, Lisa (February 14, 2022). "The Right's Would-Be Kingmaker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  11. ^ Tong, Anna; Ulmer, Alexandra; Dastin, Jeffrey (April 26, 2023). "Peter Thiel, Republican megadonor, won't fund candidates in 2024, sources say". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 25, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  12. ^ "Conservative Americans are building a parallel economy". The Economist. June 1, 2023. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  13. ^ Ritschel, Chelsea (October 14, 2022). "Downloads of conservative dating app The Right Stuff are reportedly plummeting". The Independent. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Cooper, Alex (January 2, 2023). "The Right Stuff? Peter Thiel-Backed Conservative Dating App Is a Bust". The Advocate. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  15. ^ Factora, James (August 16, 2022). "Gay Billionaire Peter Thiel Is Backing a Straights Only Anti-Woke Dating App". www.them.us. Them. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  16. ^ "The Right Stuff". The Right Stuff. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  17. ^ "Conservatives could soon be swiping right on Peter Thiel-backed dating app". The Guardian. August 11, 2022. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  18. ^ Snider, Mike. "Dating app for conservatives backed by Trump supporters to launch in September". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  19. ^ Kirsch, Noah (December 28, 2022). "Peter Thiel's Conservative Dating App Floundering After 3 Months". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  20. ^ a b c d e Ritschel, Chelsea (October 5, 2022). "The Right Stuff users say FBI contacted them after using the conservative dating app". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  21. ^ a b c d Leffer, Lauren (October 5, 2022). "Right Wing Dating App Prompts Users to Share Details About January 6th". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  22. ^ Cappelle, Alice (2023). Collapse Feminism: The Online Battle for Feminism's Future. Watkins Publishing. ISBN 9781915672025. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  23. ^ Spurs, Terrian (October 6, 2022). "Conservative dating app 'The Right Stuff' is allegedly all guys, users contacted by FBI". FOX 26 Houston. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
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