YouSaid · the spoken record

Joel Simkhai

lines on the record: 108
first: 2023-07-17
most recent: 2023-07-17
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“And I know that after 9 11, you ended up working in media at NBC for a couple years doing some translation work. So, okay, so at the time you were living in New York, and I guess it seems like you didn't quite know what you wanted to do next, but I guess you'd figured out that you didn't want to work in a corporate environment. That wasn't going to work for you, right?”
2023-07-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · Grindr: Joel Simkhai · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So I was pretty quiet about it still in college. I had a girlfriend or I had several girlfriends, but I also started to kind of date guys. And all of this was kind of secret. This was kind of my, you know, I would go on AOL and, you know, meet guys in Boston. And then I would, over the summer and I was back home, that allowed me a little bit more freedom where I was going to bars and going to clubs and leading more of a gay life when I was back home in New York.”
2023-07-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · Grindr: Joel Simkhai · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So, alright, so you are kind of exploring your own identity. You go off to college, you went to a Tufts in Boston, and while you were there, did you start to feel more comfortable coming out or were you still quiet about it?”
2023-07-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · Grindr: Joel Simkhai · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I did get bullied. Luckily, I had a great family and my cousins, and so that was really who I connected with as a child. I didn't quite connect as much with people at school. I knew I had these feelings, but I didn't quite understand them. And I vividly remember once I was part of the swim team in high school. And I was teased and someone called me a faggot. And then I said, No, I'm not. I'm not gay. I'm not gay. And for the first time, I said to myself, wait a minute, what if I am? Maybe I am. And so, you know, it took me several years to realize that I was gay. One of the things that was very helpful for me was online. So these were the days of CompuServe and AOL chat rooms. And so I was able to connect with people online.”
2023-07-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · Grindr: Joel Simkhai · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, so I was mostly friends with girls, and I wasn't very athletic. I was a small kid. I played tennis and my parents were very good in giving me opportunities and encouraging me to do things, but I was not very good at sports. My hand-eye coordination remains to this day not very good. And so it wasn't something that I excelled at at all.”
2023-07-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · Grindr: Joel Simkhai · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Welcome to How I Built This show about innovators, entrepreneurs, idealists, and the stories behind the movements they built. Guy Raz, and on the show today, how Joel Simkai wanted an easy way to meet other gay men, so he built Grindr and helped it grow into one of the most popular dating apps in the world.”
2023-07-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · Grindr: Joel Simkhai · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I'm a matchmaker. And so I expect people will be willing to pay for it because we're providing a lot of value. Unfortunately, I was right”
2023-07-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · Grindr: Joel Simkhai · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And no one's going to ever pay for an app. And I said, I'm actually not an app. I'm essentially a dating business. And people have been paying for dating for centuries.”
2023-07-17 · How I Built This with Guy Raz · Grindr: Joel Simkhai · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT