Avid Life Media

Avid Life Media was the Toronto-based company behind Ashley Madison, the infamous dating platform for extramarital affairs and open relationships. Founded in 2007 by Noel Biderman, the company operated several niche dating brands including Cougar Life and Established Men, all focused on facilitating connections for people seeking non-traditional relationship arrangements—a clear intersection with intimacy technology and adult-oriented services. The company made international headlines in 2015 when Ashley Madison suffered a massive data breach that exposed millions of users’ personal information. As we covered in our analysis of the Ashley Madison hack settlement, the breach valued personal data at around 33 cents per user—a stark reminder of privacy risks in the intimacy tech space. Biderman resigned as CEO following the incident, and the company underwent significant leadership changes with Rob Segal stepping in as CEO and James Millership as President in 2016. That same year, Avid Life Media rebranded itself as ruby Corp., marking a fresh start after the security scandal.