NDAs Blocked Any Interview—But Swiped Director Still Captured Whitney Wolfe Herd’s Story

Here comes a tech biopic that does not have the subject whispering notes into the director's ear. 'Swiped' tackles Whitney Wolfe Herd's rise from Tinder co-founder to Bumble boss, and it does it the hard way: no access, no cooperation, and a lot of detective work to fill in the blanks.

So what kind of biopic is this?

Not the 'authorized by the estate' version. 'Swiped' is the other kind: partly dramatized, built on public records and reporting. Director Rachel Lee Goldenberg set out to tell what she sees as an inspiring story about a woman forging a path in a male-dominated corner of tech, but she could not talk to Wolfe Herd or lean on her for specifics.

Why Whitney Wolfe Herd could not participate

When Wolfe Herd left Tinder, it was after she accused colleagues there of sexual harassment. Tinder later settled the lawsuit without admitting wrongdoing, and the amount was not disclosed. As part of that exit, Wolfe Herd signed an NDA that legally prevents her from discussing her time at Tinder. That gag order is why the film had to rely on everything except the subject herself.

'It was a huge responsibility to tell this story, and especially without speaking to her.'

How they built the story without her

Goldenberg describes a process that is very inside baseball and a little wild, in a good way. She and her team combed through anything they could legally touch, then shaped a narrative from the puzzle pieces. Some moments are dramatized to bridge gaps, but the spine comes from documented sources.

• They dug into interviews with the key players and a mountain of press coverage.
• They pored over the lawsuit and court filings available online.
• They scraped old social media, even long-dead platforms like Vine, to piece together timelines and relationships.
• Where the record went quiet, they used 'story shaping' to connect the dots while staying grounded in the research.

What drew Goldenberg to it

Goldenberg calls the whole thing 'cinematic' for a reason. She was struck by Wolfe Herd turning some of the worst moments of her career into a new company and a new approach. She also zeroed in on the messier, more honest part: Wolfe Herd has talked in past interviews about feeling like there was only room for one woman at the table, and how playing along with the boys' club was part of getting ahead before she course-corrected. Goldenberg related to that, and says that personal connection is what made her feel like she had to make the film.

Where to watch

'Swiped' is streaming now on Hulu in the US and on Disney+ in the UK. Disney+ starts at £4.99 a month or £89.90 for the year.