Sep 14, 2026 · 1h 18m
Bending Spoons turns acquisitions into an operating system
Inside Bending Spoons: Buying Airtable, AOL, Vimeo & Eventbrite
The episode examines whether disciplined integration, financing, and talent decisions can make perpetual ownership a credible alternative to conventional private equity.
- 1Bending Spoons buys digital businesses to operate and rebuild them indefinitely, rather than treating acquisitions as short-term exits.
- 2Its financing has grown from small debt deals into sophisticated funding for a broad, category-agnostic acquisition pipeline.
- 3AOL illustrates the model: smaller teams, extensive testing, and evidence-led management aim to unlock value after closing.
Don't miss
Matteo Danieli recounts voluntarily leaving a chief product role after deciding a younger product manager could create more value there.
The brief
From its Milan headquarters, Bending Spoons presents acquisitions as the beginning of ownership: buy digital businesses, invest in products, and hold them indefinitely.
Luca Ferrari describes a talent philosophy built around intelligence, learning ability, care, and extreme ownership, while arguing that autonomy can preserve an acquired team’s value.
The failed 2019 attempt to buy Grindr becomes a case study in negotiation, financing, and the lessons that shaped a more sophisticated acquisition strategy.
Matteo Danieli explains why he stepped aside from a product leadership role, treating meritocracy and truth-seeking as operating principles rather than slogans.
As AOL’s general manager, Valentina Jerusalmi shows how the model works after closing: interview deeply, restructure focused teams, and let experiments outrank opinion.