Bending Spoons Exec's Airtable Layoff Post Draws Sharp Online Rebuke

By Amara Osei

Bending Spoons laid off a large part of the Airtable team on October 12, 2026, just weeks after closing its $1.28 billion all-cash acquisition of the San Francisco-based software firm. The Milan-based tech conglomerate, which completed its initial public offering in July, disclosed the cuts in a brief X post by product lead Federico Simionato.

Why did the post go viral?

Simionato's October 12 announcement ignited fierce criticism on X, where users accused him of mixing a layoff notice with a product pitch. "Today we're laying off a large part of the Airtable team," he wrote. "This is not a reflection of their work but a reflection of our deep belief that small teams ship more and better."

He then listed Airtable's roadmap, including a "new Core team shipping your top requests monthly (already 30+ shipped in 3 weeks)," plus "upgraded Omni, Airtable Canvas, a stronger MCP, and BYO agents." He also announced "new Performance and Infra teams focusing on speeding up bases and increasing limits on records, fields, and syncs."

How did social media react?

X users pounced within hours. One called the post "pioneering work in the field of corporate sociopathy." Another wrote: "Celebrating layoffs is not a flex, no matter how you try to dress it up." A third called it "the most unempathetic thing I've read in my life."

Simionato pushed back in a reply. "It's a hard day for good people," he wrote. "I'd rather be upfront about why than vague about it." He denied celebrating, but the original post remained online and continued to draw replies.

What did Airtable say?

New Airtable product lead Alessandro Savarese released a longer statement shortly after Simionato's post. Departing staff "will be leaving by the end of the week with substantial separation packages," he wrote. "This decision wasn't taken lightly, and it doesn't reflect on the team's excellent work. Their passion and dedication made Airtable the product and business it is today."

What's Bending Spoons' track record?

Bending Spoons built its reputation buying established software brands and restructuring them. Its portfolio already includes Vimeo, AOL, and Evernote. The company follows a similar playbook across each asset, typically cutting headcount, rewriting the product roadmap, and shipping updates within weeks of closing.

What are the reputational risks?

Ellerton & Co. Public Relations managing partner Oliver Ellerton told Fast Company Simionato's post conflated "corporate conviction with public empathy." "You can genuinely believe that smaller teams build better businesses—fair enough. But announcing significant layoffs is not the best time to make the case for how clever that strategy is," he said.

"He wants to project confidence and decisiveness," Ellerton added. "But if you've just lost your job, it's difficult not to read this as management congratulating itself on becoming more efficient at your expense."

Such missteps carry "reputational consequences [that] outlast the initial controversy," Ellerton said. "A badly judged post can become the first thing a prospective employee finds when researching the company, long after the executives involved have moved on." The remaining staff watch every word, he added.

Is this part of a wider pattern?

The Simionato backlash landed days after HubSpot founder Dharmesh Shah drew fire for a 28-word LinkedIn post thanking laid-off employees. Shah has since apologized, calling his message "curt and insensitive" and promising more "care and empathy."

What's next for Bending Spoons?

Bending Spoons now controls a portfolio of legacy software brands worth billions. The Italian firm faces the same communications test at every closing. A cleaner rollout on the Airtable updates Simionato promised could blunt the criticism; a repeat performance will not.