‘Swiped’ Review – A Sharp Biopic On Whitney Wolfe Herd And Sexism In Tech [TIFF 2025]

There’s no easy way to make it big in the world of tech, with new competition popping up every day and constant advancements within the industry; it’s a revolving door of ideas. Being a woman in the tech industry adds more layers of complication to the mix, often putting women in far too many uncomfortable situations. Rachel Lee Goldenberg’s Swiped puts a magnifying glass on sexism in an industry dominated by men—a story far too many women can relate to. Carried through its unbalanced script by the lead performance from Lily James, her passionate portrayal of Whitney Wolfe Herd is contagious. Swiped is a courageous film with an uplifting spirit; a girlboss film that is more than just a buzzword.

Taking the audience back to 2012, Swiped introduces Whitney (Lily James) as she is sneaking into a lavish tech summit. Nabbing a badge that was previously discarded in a nearby trash can, Whitney makes her way into the building—not without security noticing. It’s not what one would completely expect when walking in; rather, it resembles a nightclub, with more men than women by a wide margin. From the start, Goldenberg establishes Whitney as a woman who is overflowing with drive, showing her going table to table, chatting up any tech bro she can find to pitch her idea to. But they’d rather get her number than give her work the time of day—something that doesn’t go unnoticed by Whitney.

Each time Whitney is turned down, she begins to feel smaller and smaller, and at one point, she simply lets security kick her out without a fuss. Her struggles only increase from here, and Swiped shows just how difficult being a woman in a heavily male-populated field is. Based on the real-life billionaire Whitney Wolfe Herd, famous for co-creating the dating app Tinder, as well as founding Bumble, another popular dating app, Swiped takes place right when she’s breaking into the cultural phenomenon that was internet startups. The film depicts her as a woman filled with ambition—and how that same ambition was easily taken advantage of. When Whitney crosses paths with Sean Rad (Ben Schnetzer), CEO of Cardify, a failing startup, her life takes a dramatic shift.

Accepting a job offer from Sean—one that, at face value, seems impressive: a marketing title at his self-described successful tech company—Whitney finds herself in a unique position. Whitney is a marketing genius, as the film shows just how instrumental she was to the success of Tinder, a name she coined. Not only does she name the app, but subscribers finally reach one million, marking a successful venture with her focus on the younger generation’s dating world. Her time with the company is plagued with hardships—from not getting her credit as co-founder at award shows to her coworker and ex-boyfriend Christopher Gulczynski (Jackson White) fueling harassment at their shared workplace. This spills over into an online harassment campaign that makes her life spiral, leading to her resignation.

Swiped makes a point to explore Whitney’s life beyond her tumultuous time at Tinder and continues showing her navigate a world that foams at the mouth at her existence. Her story sadly reflects many workplaces—not only with the harassment—but even showing how Whitney herself plays into misogyny. The lack of intersectionalism is a point that Goldenberg highlights, and it’s the film’s most important message. When Whitney secures her seat at the table, she’s not amplifying issues her other female coworkers bring up—a mistake that Whitney reflects on at the end of the film, where she has to take a stance to speak for all victims. Swiped‘s script is at it’s best when focused on Whitney pushing through adversity. When Whitney finally makes it big and brings more women to the table, their collective pride is infectious.

James takes the script written by Rachel Lee Goldenberg, Bill Parker, and Kim Caramele and injects a charismatic performance. She’s incredibly likable in her role, making Whitney stick out in a sea of some of the most annoying dude bros since The Social Network. James’s work is almost too good for a script that rushes many of the poignant moments in Whitney’s life that show just how far she has come from such a negative situation. Her resignation from Tinder, lawsuit, and subsequent rise to the youngest female billionaire all blur together, and while the film’s big TED Talk-esque speech is powerful, it gets glossed over too quickly. Its themes of intersectional feminism are admirable, and it’s refreshing to see a film’s script show how the main character learns to become more inclusive with her stances and advocacy.

While Swiped clocks in at 110 minutes, it flies by. This could be in part due to the numerous needle drops from the era, coming off more distracting than anything, since those songs don’t hit the same nostalgic chords as the early 2000s just yet. Paired with an office environment that is overstimulating—with its ping-pong tables, beers in the conference rooms, and rampant sexualization of women—Swiped shows just how overwhelming this world is for Whitney. Even through the wardrobe stylings of Whitney—her start from messy buns and cars with broken doors to a sleek and sophisticated look—showcases how women flourish in environments that are filled with respect, especially when women advocate for one another.

While the highs of Whitney’s life fly by, it’s a gripping film that James shines in; even when the needle drops become overbearing, the film finds its footing in the perseverance of a woman who refuses to sit on the sidelines. Swiped is a reminder that feminism needs to be intersectional to truly be impactful.

Swiped held its World Premiere as part of the Gala Presentations section at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. The film will debut exclusively on Hulu on September 19, 2025. 

Director: Rachel Lee Goldenberg

Screenwriters: Bill Parker, Rachel Lee Goldenberg, Kim Caramele

Rated: TVMA

Runtime: 110m