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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Bending Spoons received about 800,000 job applications in 2025 and hired 286 people, according to its 2026 registration filing. That is fewer than 0.04% of applications. The company offers no performance bonuses, uses broad internal titles, and warns candidates to expect demanding work. The figures help explain the scale of interest; they do not establish why applicants apply or whether its selection system predicts job performance.
How many people applied, and how many were hired?
Bending Spoons’ 2026 registration filing reports approximately 110,000 applications to become a “Spooner” in 2023, 360,000 in 2024, and 800,000 in 2025. It says about 60,000 candidates completed practical tests in 2025, about 3,300 reached interviews, and 286 were hired. The reported hire count was less than 0.04% of applications received. These are application counts, not a verified count of unique people; neither the filing nor the cited coverage establishes how many individuals applied more than once. Bending Spoons’ 2026 Form 424B4 filing is the primary source for the company’s totals. Fortune also reports the funnel and hiring practices.
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The figures describe the volume and narrowing of the funnel, not an independently audited test of who would succeed at the job. The Wall Street Journal separately reported the headline application and hiring numbers, but that corroboration does not establish the validity or fairness of the selection method.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWhat does the hiring process involve?
Practical tests before interviews
Fortune reports that Bending Spoons’ online practical tests assess how quickly candidates solve unfamiliar problems and learn new skills. Some tasks can take up to six hours, and some tests are monitored. The company’s filing says approximately 60,000 candidates completed practical tests in 2025; it does not mean every applicant completed one.
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Before setting aside time, consider the test format and the length of the tasks. An aptitude-test practice book may help someone get comfortable with timed problem-solving, but the reporting does not show that preparation improves a candidate’s odds or identify a Bending Spoons-specific guide.
Role Model and the company’s rationale
Fortune reports that Bending Spoons built software called Role Model to manage applications. The system uses test results and AI models trained on historical hiring data, including information about how past recruits performed; the company tracks recruits’ performance for up to two years and feeds it back into selection models.
Nicolle Wasserman, the company’s head of people operations, argues that practical tests can be harder to game than interviews: “It’s easy for a candidate to overstate their skills or accomplishments in an interview, but it’s hard to misrepresent them in a practical test.” She also says the approach can limit disadvantages traditional interviews may pose for shy candidates and non-native English speakers. That is her explanation of the system’s aims, not independent evidence that its models are unbiased or reliably predict performance.
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No. Fortune reports that the company does not pay performance bonuses. Instead, it reviews salaries annually and offers employees an option to buy company stock at a discount; 84% of eligible staff purchased stock in 2025, according to Fortune. That participation figure is not a measure of the stock’s future value, and equity should not be assumed to make up for the absence of a bonus.
The company argues that target-linked bonuses can encourage short-term decisions without reliably improving results. Wasserman says they can make colleague relationships “more transactional and less honest.” For an applicant, the practical question is whether the stated salary and the actual stock-purchase terms suit their need for predictable cash compensation, variable pay, and investment risk. The cited reporting does not provide individual salary ranges or detailed equity terms.
What do the titles and expectations mean in practice?
Broad titles, fewer management layers
Fortune reports that Bending Spoons calls managers “leads” and makes no internal distinction between junior and senior engineers. It says there are usually no more than three management layers between the CEO and a core-team member. This may suit people comfortable with broad responsibilities, but applicants who rely on formal levels as signals of scope or promotion should ask how a particular team defines growth and decision-making. Employees can describe their work on LinkedIn in reasonable terms; the company’s internal structure simply does not use elaborate levels.
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A direct warning about workload
The company sends candidates workplace principles that warn of “considerable” challenges, workloads, and expectations. Fortune reports that employees are expected to take responsibility for wellbeing; examples include turning off after-hours Slack notifications, adjusting schedules, and taking flexible vacation without approval. The company also says it may part ways with employees who perform adequately if stronger contributors are available.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchThose practices do not make demanding work a good fit for everyone. The company’s stated appeal is the scale of the challenge and colleagues’ talent. Wasserman told Fortune: “People want to work here because they know that they’ll be taking on big challenges with talented colleagues every day.” Candidates should weigh that proposition against the explicit performance standard and their own boundaries rather than treating intensity as a universal benefit.
Why does the company attract so much attention?
Fortune describes Bending Spoons as an Italian technology group founded in 2013 that acquires and overhauls digital businesses, including Vimeo and AOL; it reports that the company has acquired more than 50 businesses. Its founder, Luca Ferrari, has described the model as “private equity had a baby with Google.” That is a colorful comparison, not a formal business classification.
The filing’s hiring totals show substantial applicant interest, but the available reporting does not establish what motivates each applicant. The company’s own explanation emphasizes large challenges and talented colleagues; that is a company representative’s account, not a measured survey of applicants.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the workforce figures do—and do not—show
Fortune reports that Bending Spoons employed 600 people and cites its IPO filing for revenue per full-time employee of $1.12 million in 2023 and $2.57 million in 2025. These are company-level revenue-per-employee figures, not individual salaries or proof that each employee generated that amount.
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Fortune also reports two different 2025 workforce measures: 0.6% of the core team quit, while overall turnover was 16.2%. They concern different employee populations and should not be treated as contradictory or interchangeable measures of retention.
The company’s acquisition work is another relevant qualification. Fortune reports staff reductions affecting AOL, Eventbrite, and Vimeo; the filing expected only a few hundred of those businesses’ 1,830 full-time staff to remain after restructuring. Those figures concern acquired-company workforces and do not describe the same group as the company’s core team.
How to decide whether applying makes sense
There is no single verdict in the reported numbers. The role may appeal if you want substantial responsibility and can accept a selective, time-intensive process; it may be a poor match if you prioritize performance bonuses, formal engineering levels, or predictable boundaries around workload. Before applying or accepting an offer, assess the specific position and team on these points:
Quick Recap
- Cash and equity: Compare the written salary and stock-purchase terms with your need for recurring cash pay and willingness to take investment risk.
- Assessment burden: Decide whether online practical tasks that can take up to six hours fit your schedule and how you want to demonstrate skills.
- Work intensity: Ask the hiring team what the stated expectations mean for the actual role, deadlines, and after-hours availability.
- Role scope and growth: Clarify responsibilities, feedback, and progression if formal junior/senior labels matter to you.
- Business unit: Establish whether the job is on the core team or within an acquired business, and ask how restructuring may affect that unit.
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