Affair Dating App Ashley Madison Surges Ahead Despite Massive 2015 Data Breach

With so much controversy surrounding the dating app that was built for affairs, Ashley Madison, many might not think they are thriving. And after the 2015 data breach where hackers stole the customer data of 37 million users and posted it online, it would be easy to assume that the app went downhill, but that's simply not the case.

Ashley Madison Chief Strategy Officer Paul Keable reported that since 2015, the company has not only grown its membership by nearly 130% but it's also become more than just the world's leading married dating site. Keable recently sat down with The Blast to share how the app is doing and what lies ahead.

"Life is short. Have an affair."

The company's tagline might not appeal to everyone, but it clearly has a fanbase that's grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade despite a controversial data breach in 2015. And even with the Netflix documentary released earlier this year revealing some behind-the-scenes information from the data breach and what came of it for many users, the app just continues to grow.

"Anytime any sort of consumer-facing brand gets that type of global promotion or awareness, you're going to see an increase in traffic. And what really tells you if there's a desire for what you're offering is, do you see people signing up? Do you see people converting? And we certainly did see that," Keable told The Blast exclusively.

"We were doing very well prior to, but we certainly saw probably about a 30% jump in new members around the world because it was [the documentary] the number one show for about a week, maybe two weeks, around the world."

A lot of the newer users are Gen Z, according to Keable, who said they maybe didn't hear about them before or weren't aware they were still in business. Since the start of the pandemic, Ashley Madison has seen an increase of about 365,000 new users a month. Since its inception, there are more than 85 million members.

Ashley Madison offers something unique that other dating apps don't - openly looking for an affair where all parties are on the same page.

"We offer something that is very unique. And I think what stands out about us compared to what might be the potential of other options is that we're a little bit more upfront and honest about what we're doing," he told The Blast.

"Our tagline literally is, 'Life is short. Have an affair.' So while we know that traditional dating sites sometimes have people who are looking for this type of activity on those platforms pretending to be something they're not, that creates a really poor experience for a lot of different people. Whereas when you come to us, everyone's looking for the same thing."

When asked if cheating does more harm than good, or vice versa, Keable shared what he's seen through the app's success.

"Based on the conversations I've had both with our members, with my own social circle, I firmly believe that we save more marriages than we end," he said. "And if you ask anybody of a certain age, usually north of 40, do you know anyone in your social circle who has had infidelity come into their relationship, most people will say yes."

The Netflix documentary highlighted a couple who stayed together after the husband had multiple affairs, including through Ashley Madison. Ten years later, they are still together.

"We often work with a therapist named Dr. Tammy Nelson. Some people go into these with the intent of getting caught. She calls them can opener affairs because you'll tell your spouse, I need this, I want this, this is important to me. And the spouse maybe doesn't really hear that message properly," Keable explained.

"And they'll go have an affair with the intent of getting caught to force that conversation to say, listen, I was very serious, and people then start to realize that maybe they weren't listening."

And while many "different institutions" say that adultery is wrong, it's something that's happening and happening often.

"It's literally the only sin that's in the Ten Commandments twice, but we are inundated on a daily basis with news of people having affairs between celebrities and sports world and business figures," he said. "And we are coming to understand the nuances and part of my job isn't to go out and tell people how great affairs are. I'm actually trying to help people understand what affairs really are versus what you think they are."

It's not only people looking to have a secret affair that use Ashley Madison. People in open or non-monogamous relationships also use the app.

"One of the biggest changes we've seen over the past three to four years is the increase in what we call disclosed non-monogamy relationships," Keable explained.

"So people who are coming to our site who have their partner's permission or awareness of their activities, but because they've already been in a relationship for some time and maybe have children, they don't want their family, friends, and colleagues to be aware of their interest in the space, so they're dipping their toes."

Keable said it's important for people to understand that this is "a natural human desire" and that it happens all around the world in all cultures, religions, and economic statuses.

"So before you judge it," he continued. "Understand the motivations, the reasoning behind it, and then come to better conclusions."

According to a survey that polled 2,078 Ashley Madison members between July 30 and August 6, 2024, 63% said they would give their partner a "hall pass" for their favorite Olympic athlete.  And 42% said they felt their partner would give them a "hall pass" for their favorite Olympic athlete.

(A "hall pass" is an agreement between a couple that one or both of them can have sex with someone else.)

When looking at the gender breakdowns, women were more generous with 72% saying they would give their partner a "hall pass" versus 63%.

The survey also broke down the hottest female and male athletes:

Hottest Female Athletes:

1. Michelle Jenneke (Australia) - 37%
2. Penny Oleksiak (Canada) - 18%
3. Katie Ledecky (US) - 10%
4. Nicola Olyslagers (Australia) - 9%
5. Simone Biles (US) - 7%
6. Duda Lisboa (Brazil) - 6%
7. Sha'Carri Richardson (US) - 5%
8. Alejandra Orozco Loza (Mexico) - 4%
9. Alice Muraro (Italy) - 4%
10. Malaika Mi­hambo (Germany) - 0%

Hottest Male Athletes:

1. Stefan Bissegger (Switzerland) - 20%
2. Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) - 15%
3. Léon Marchand (France) - 14%
4. LeBron James (USA) - 13%
5. Mauro Nespoli (Italy) - 13%
6. Nicolás Pizarro (Mexico) - 8%
7. John Gimson (UK) - 6%
8. Lucarelli (Brazil) - 5%
9. Pierce Lepage (Canada) - 3.3%
10. Victor Wembanyama (France) - 2.8%