Clarifai
In short: Clarifai is a US artificial intelligence company, founded in 2013 by Matthew Zeiler, that built image and video recognition tools and later AI infrastructure software. It matters to dating because it received about three million OkCupid user photos in 2014, the subject of a 2026 FTC settlement with Match Group. In May 2026 its core team joined Nebius.
Key facts
| Type | AI vendor (computer vision and AI infrastructure), not a dating company |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Status | Core engineering and research team moved to Nebius in May 2026, with a patent sale and a licence of its inference technology. Sources differ on whether Clarifai Inc continues as a separate operating company. |
| Website | clarifai.com |
| Founded | 2013, by Matthew Zeiler (Forbes gives November 2013) [Every AI Powerhouse Wanted This Whiz Kid. He's Taking Them O, 13 July 2017] |
| Founder and CEO | Matthew Zeiler, founder and CEO of Clarifai, joined Nebius as SVP, Research [Nebius Adds Clarifai Engineering Team, Licenses Inference Te, 14 May 2026] |
| Nebius transaction | Nebius announced that Clarifai's core engineering and research team is joining it, that it will acquire Clarifai's patent portfolio, and that it receives a non-exclusive, perpetual licence to Clarifai's modern AI inference technology. The licence excludes legacy computer vision models and US government and defence programmes. [Nebius acquires Clarifai team and licenses inference technol, 12 May 2026] |
| Funding | $60 million Series C in October 2021, led by New Enterprise Associates (secondary source, 7wData) [Clarifai - 7wData, 2026] |
| OkCupid data transfer | The FTC says OkCupid gave Clarifai access to nearly three million user photos with demographic and location data, without a formal agreement or user opt out, after Clarifai contacted a founder of OkCupid in 2014 [AI Facial Recognition Firm Deletes Millions of OkCupid User , 22 April 2026] |
| FTC settlement | The FTC settled with OkCupid's operator Humor Rainbow and Match Group Americas on 30 March 2026, over allegations that OkCupid deceived users by sharing personal data with an unrelated third party. Clarifai was not a defendant. [FTC Takes Action Against Match and OkCupid for Deceiving Use, 30 March 2026] |
| Deletion certification | Clarifai certified to the FTC on 7 April 2026 that it deleted the OkCupid photo data, and on 16 April told Rep. Lori Trahan's office it had deleted models trained on the data and had not shared it with third parties (per Reuters, as reported). Clarifai was not accused of wrongdoing. [Clarifai says it deleted 3 million OkCupid user photos and t, 21 April 2026] |
| Headquarters (sources differ) | Reports place Clarifai in New York City, Wilmington Delaware, or the Washington DC area, so no city is stated [Clarifai - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding, 2026] |
About Clarifai
Clarifai is a US artificial intelligence company founded in 2013 by Matthew Zeiler, who studied for a PhD at New York University. It began as a computer vision specialist, selling image and video recognition tools to developers, and later described itself as a full stack AI platform covering images, video, text and audio. It is not a dating company. Its relevance to the dating industry comes from one data transfer.
In 2014, Clarifai's founder asked OkCupid's co-founder for data to train its image recognition systems. The FTC says OkCupid gave Clarifai access to nearly three million user photos, plus demographic and location data, with no formal agreement and no opt out for users. The FTC alleges this went against OkCupid's privacy policy, and that OkCupid's founders were investors in Clarifai. The FTC's case was against Match Group Americas and OkCupid's operator, Humor Rainbow, and was settled on 30 March 2026 with no fine. Clarifai was not accused of wrongdoing. Press reports say it certified to the FTC on 7 April 2026 that it had deleted the photos, and told a US lawmaker's office that it had deleted models trained on them and had not shared the data with third parties.
On 12 May 2026, Nebius announced that Clarifai's core engineering and research team, led by Zeiler, was joining it. Nebius also agreed to acquire Clarifai's patent portfolio and license its inference and compute orchestration technology. The licence excludes the legacy computer vision models and the US government and defence work. Zeiler became Nebius's SVP, Research.
Stories about Clarifai
- OkCupid's AI Data Deal: A Lesson in Privacy Oversight
Clarifai has deleted 3 million OkCupid photos and models trained on them, the FTC says, over a 2014 transfer that breached OkCupid's privacy policy.
Also mentioned in
Questions about Clarifai
What is Clarifai?
Clarifai is a US artificial intelligence company founded in 2013 by Matthew Zeiler. It started with image and video recognition and later moved into AI infrastructure software.
How is Clarifai connected to OkCupid?
The FTC says OkCupid gave Clarifai access to nearly three million user photos, with demographic and location data, in 2014. Clarifai's founder asked for the data, and OkCupid's founders were investors in Clarifai.
Was Clarifai fined or accused by the FTC?
No. The FTC's case was against Match Group Americas and OkCupid's operator, Humor Rainbow. The settlement carried no fine, and reports say Clarifai was not accused of wrongdoing.
Did Clarifai delete the OkCupid photos?
Press reports citing Reuters say Clarifai certified to the FTC on 7 April 2026 that it had deleted the photos, and told a US lawmaker's office it had deleted models trained on them. The FTC has not independently verified this in the sources seen.
Who owns Clarifai now?
In May 2026 Nebius took on Clarifai's core team, bought its patent portfolio and licensed its inference technology. Some data providers describe this as an acquisition, but Nebius's own announcement describes a team, patent and licence deal.
What does Clarifai do?
Clarifai is a US artificial intelligence company, founded in 2013 by Matthew Zeiler, that built image and video recognition tools and later AI infrastructure software. It matters to dating because it received about three million OkCupid user photos in 2014, the subject of a 2026 FTC settlement with Match Group.
Where is Clarifai based?
Clarifai is based in United States.
When was Clarifai founded?
Clarifai was founded in 2013.
Also known as: Clarifai Inc..
Sources
- Every AI Powerhouse Wanted This Whiz Kid. He's Taking Them On Instead
- Nebius Adds Clarifai Engineering Team, Licenses Inference Tech
- Nebius acquires Clarifai team and licenses inference technology
- Clarifai - 7wData
- AI Facial Recognition Firm Deletes Millions of OkCupid User Photos Shared Without Consent
- FTC Takes Action Against Match and OkCupid for Deceiving Users by Sharing Personal Data with Third Party
- Clarifai says it deleted 3 million OkCupid user photos and the facial-recognition models trained on them
- Clarifai - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding