GoKawiilBending Spoons drew 800,000 job applications in 2025, hired 286
Bending Spoons, the tech company behind Vimeo, AOL and Airtable, received roughly 800,000 job applications last year but hired only 286 people, according to a Fortune report. The company warns candidates upfront about its demanding culture, including blunt feedback, frequent restructurings and a willingness to part ways with underperformers. Its hiring process includes practical assessments such as online tests that can take up to six hours.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The extremely low acceptance rate suggests Bending Spoons is using selectivity itself as a branding and filtering tool, screening for candidates willing to accept its intense work culture before they even join. This approach could help the company sustain its aggressive acquisition strategy, which included $3 billion in deals in 2025, by ensuring new hires are prepared for rapid overhauls of struggling apps. It may also signal a broader trend of tech firms pairing high-volume hiring funnels with explicit cultural warnings to pre-select for retention.
- Bending Spoons received about 800,000 applications in 2025 but hired just 286 people.
- The company buys and overhauls struggling apps like Vimeo, AOL, Eventbrite and Airtable, spending $3 billion on acquisitions in 2025.
- Applicants are warned in advance about 'controversial' workplace principles, including blunt feedback and frequent restructuring, before being hired.
Source: entrepreneur.com — Sherin Shibu, 2026-10-12
Published there as: “This Company Warns Applicants About Its ‘Controversial’ Jobs. 800,000 People Still Applied.”
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