Duolicious – Open-source dating app

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reception of Duolicious

  • Mixed reactions: appreciation for open-source and “ethical” potential, but strong dislike of the edgy, 4chan-oriented marketing and self-deprecating tone.
  • Some like that the branding clearly signals its niche and filters out ill-suited users early.
  • Others see the KnowYourMeme entry and 4chan testimonials as a major red flag.

“Ethical dating app” and business model

  • Several commenters doubt a truly ethical dating app can thrive because the business incentive is to keep users engaged and single.
  • Open source and/or non-profit or user-owned models are proposed to align incentives with successfully matching people.
  • Ideas floated: flat, equal pricing for all; one-time payment to align incentives with getting users “off” the app; donation-based funding from successful couples; charitable or state-funded models.
  • Skepticism that investors will back a product whose goal is to make itself unnecessary.

Government, public, and alternative models

  • Some suggest state-backed dating apps in response to demographic decline; Japan and Russia are mentioned as exploring similar ideas.
  • Others argue offline policies like subsidizing social activities or low-impact team sports might be more effective than apps.

Gender ratio and pricing strategies

  • Duolicious’ self-reported ~7:1 male-to-female ratio is seen as brave to disclose but unsurprising.
  • Suggestions to charge women less than men spark debate:
    • Proponents think it could rebalance the ratio or act as a deposit to deter bad behavior.
    • Critics note legal risks (sex discrimination), potential for misrepresentation, and that it might not actually improve women’s experience.

Social dynamics, “incels,” and zero-sum views

  • One line of discussion frames dating as zero-sum with “top” men dominating attention; others disagree, pointing to varied preferences and mismatched algorithms.
  • The term “incel” is used pejoratively; some push back, arguing “ethical” here mostly means transparent, non-exploitative software and data practices.

Matching algorithms and UX

  • Duolicious’ 2,000-question bank is compared to old OkCupid, with praise for question weighting and partner-acceptable answers.
  • Some doubt heavy clustering on personality questions will work for romance, but see strong potential for hiring.
  • Features like checking first messages for originality and AI-style prompts (“are you sure you want to send this?”) are viewed as promising but limited moderation tools.