Recently, a 29-year-old tech exec went viral on X(formerly Twitter) asking who wanted to "cofound the rest of her life" with her. She dropped a super intense list of dating "non-negotiables" for her future man. The requirements? He needed to be 35 to 42, "post-economic" (which basically means wealthy enough to not stress about money, but still grinding), working in the tech industry, "healthy masculine," sober, and actively "on the healing path."
The internet has THOUGHTS.
The feedback on X was a totally mixed bag. Half the timeline roasted the post, saying it read way more like a brutal HR recruiter job listing than someone actually looking for a romantic connection. Others jumped to her defense, pointing out the double standards in dating and arguing that women are absolutely allowed to have high standards without being shamed for it.
And hey, we totally agree that you should have standards. But here is the thing about bringing a rigid, corporate-style checklist into your love life: it almost always ends up leaving both people completely unsatisfied.
When you approach dating like you’re trying to fill a vacant position at a startup, it totally kills the vibe. One person spends the entire relationship grading their partner like a pop quiz, and the other feels like they're just checking boxes instead of being appreciated for who they actually are. It turns finding a genuine connection into a weirdly stressful transaction.
The reality is that figuring out what you really want doesn’t happen by drafting a master list of demands in your Notes app and posting it on X. You figure it out by getting out there and dating different types of people. Sometimes the person who looks flawless "on paper" is a total snooze-fest in real life, and the person who doesn't check a single box on your list ends up being the most magnetic, fun connection you've ever had.
Dating outside your supposed "type" teaches you so much more about your actual needs and boundaries than a bulleted list ever could. At the end of the day, chemistry doesn't care about your criteria.
Ready to ditch the HR approach, skip the high-pressure interviews, and just vibe? Join OBC today to meet local singles who are down for a good time—no exhausting application process required.