On POF, the user sees the same subscription options (we did a 1/3/6 product mix to setup an even test since I've heard that apparently Google will now not be supporting the 2/4/8 month mix which we find optimizes conversion for POF). We're seeing more users shift into 1M packages which results in lower LTV and this is further compounded by the fact that retention is significantly worse.

Retention I think is the real issue since the customer is having the same experience regardless of payment method. My hypothesis here is that GPB makes it much easier to cancel a subscription – which is positive from a customer experience perspective but clearly will have negative LTV impact across most, if not, all of our brands if this holds true across the board. Voluntary churn due to switching off renewal is significantly higher and renewal rates on credit card or iOS are anywhere from 100 to over 200% higher depending on the platform and product length.

In response, Google's Brandon Barras advised internally: 'My personal feeling is engaging Adrian point by point plays into what he is looking for and won't result in any positive results for the relationship.' Purnima Kochikar added that Match's escalating tone 'increased after FB announced their intent to go into dating,' and that the underlying goal of the complaints was 'to get better rev share terms.'