{
  "id": 11938808,
  "title": "Grindr CEO graduated with $500 in his pocket. Now a self-made millionaire, he plans to bring his kids to the office at 10 years old to teach them grit",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/04/grindr-ceo-graduated-with-500-in-his-pocket-now-a-self-made",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-04T13:21:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/article/grindr-ceo-george-arison-graduated-with-500-dollar-now-self-made-millionaire-career-advice-kids-teach-grit-office/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "George Arison, the CEO of Grindr, was born in the Soviet Union and immigrated to the United States as a teenager. He worked various odd jobs while studying and graduated college with only $500 to his name. Despite the hardships he faced, Arison credits his grit to the challenges he faced early in life. Now a self-made millionaire, he plans to bring his two children to the office at the age of 10 to teach them the same resilience he learned from his own experiences.\n\nArison founded Taxi Magic, which later became Curb, before taking the reins at Grindr, an LGBTQ+ dating app with 15 million monthly users. As CEO, he earns a $1 million annual salary, along with bonuses and stock options. While acknowledging that his kids are growing up in a wealthy and safe environment, Arison is determined to instill grit in them, regardless of their surroundings.\n\nTo help his children develop resilience, Arison plans to bring them skiing at a young age. He believes that skiing is a complex sport that requires overcoming adversity, and he wants his kids to learn both the joy and the challenges of the activity. Skiing also provides an opportunity for bonding between Arison and his children, as they spend quality time together on the slopes.\n\nIn addition to skiing, Arison intends to involve his children in his work from an early age. He believes that shadowing his daily activities, especially his work ethic, will teach them valuable lessons about ambition and the importance of hard work. Arison has previously shadowed his grandfather in a senior role in the Soviet system from the age of 7, and attributes much of his own work grit to that experience. He hopes that by showing his kids how important work is and the responsibilities that come with success, they will develop a strong work ethic as well.",
  "summary": "Forget trust funds—Grindr’s multimillionaire CEO exclusively tells Fortune he is sending his kids to the office and up the ski slopes to toughen them up for real life.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}