SEATTLE, WA — Software engineer David Park and graphic designer Rachel Torres learned last month that their relationship, which began on the dating platform SoulSync and led to their recent engagement, was engineered entirely by an algorithm that analyzed their Amazon purchase histories rather than their stated preferences or personality assessments.

The revelation came during a casual conversation about their upcoming wedding registry when both realized they had been buying identical niche items for years before meeting — including the same brand of specialty coffee beans, identical kitchen organizing systems, and matching sets of hiking socks.

"We thought we had this incredible compatibility," Torres explained. "Same taste in books, same weird health snacks, same random household gadgets. Turns out SoulSync had been reading our purchase data and basically decided we were the same person."

According to leaked internal documents from SoulSync's parent company, the app's "Deep Compatibility Engine" had been accessing users' retail purchase data through third-party partnerships since 2022. The algorithm prioritized matching users who bought similar products within 30-day windows, operating on the theory that consumption patterns reveal "authentic lifestyle alignment."

"Traditional dating platforms rely on what people say they want, but we've found that what people actually buy is a far more accurate predictor of long-term relationship success," said Dr. Kevin Morse, SoulSync's Chief Behavioral Scientist. "Couples who purchase the same specialty olive oil are 67% more likely to stay together than couples who simply both select 'foodie' as an interest."

Park and Torres discovered they had both been buying increasingly specific items in the months before matching — including artisanal dog shampoo despite neither owning a dog, and replacement parts for a 1970s espresso machine they both happened to inherit from grandparents.

"The algorithm basically created this feedback loop where it kept recommending products to both of us based on what the other was buying," Park said. "We were essentially being shaped into perfect partners by Amazon's recommendation engine."

The couple has decided to proceed with their wedding despite the artificial origins of their connection, though they plan to register at Target as "an act of rebellion against algorithmic destiny." SoulSync has since updated its privacy policy to explicitly mention "purchase-pattern analysis" in its matching criteria.