CEO of Bending Spoons Luca Ferrari
Italy’s Bending Spoons Prepares to Lay Off 75% of WeTransfer Employees
Bending Spoons strikes again. The Italian unicorn, led by Luca Ferrarihas confirmed its intention to cut 75% of its workforce WeTransferthe file transfer platform it acquired last June. In addition 350 people at risk of losing their jobsin what is not just a mass layoff, but a precise, clear-cut strategy, perfectly in line with the modus operandi of Bending Spoons: acquire, downsize, reform. Without mercy.
It’s not the first time that Ferrari has brandished the axe. He had already done so with Evernote, Filmic and Meetupall companies absorbed and then brutally restructured. The message is clear: when you enter the universe of Bending Spoons, you can’t be sure of staying. The vision is that of a “smaller and more specialized” teamready to maximize the untapped potential of the acquired company. The superfluous is cut away, with surgical precision.
There are those who might see in all this a sign of ruthless efficiency, an example of pragmatic leadership that is not afraid to make unpopular decisions. And then there are those who, understandably, see only a massacre of jobs. But the reality is that Bending Spoons is not new to these dynamics.. It’s not a response to the tech crisis, it’s not a desperate move. It’s their trademark.
The rhetoric is typical of the modern CEO, who sees layoffs not as a failure, but as a strategic choice. “Once the vision is clear,” Ferrari declared, “we try to bridge the gap between the status quo and the vision as quickly as possible.” Translated: If you are not part of the vision, you are part of the problem. Restructuring is not simply a cost-cutting exercise, it is a radical redesign of the organization, a calculated move to make the company more efficient, more agile, more profitable.
“When we acquire a company, we spend weeks or months studying it in detail, examining every aspect: organization, technology, user experience, monetization, marketing, and so on,” Ferrari explains. Once the vision is clear, we try to bridge the gap between the current state and the vision as quickly and completely as possible.. Usually, this involves making significant changes to many areas, including the organization. While we don’t like making painful or unpopular decisions, we are willing to do so when we believe it is the right choice to make the company prosper.”
WeTransfer, a company founded in 2009 in Amsterdam for file transfer, seemed like an untouchable giant. But in the eyes of Bending Spoons, it was just another creature to be shaped. And so, after the initial enthusiasm for the acquisition, came the cold shower. “In this specific case, the vision we have developed is that of a smaller, more focused WeTransfer structure, which we believe is better positioned to ensure the company’s success with a long-term vision – concludes Ferrari –
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