This week a story came up that a lot of people in tech were talking about.
Airtable is a well known software company in San Francisco. It was bought by Bending Spoons, an Italian company, for about $1.3 billion. The deal closed in early September. Then on 12 October, about a month later, the new product lead, Alessandro Savarese, posted that they are “parting ways with a large portion of the pre-acquisition team”. Most of those people leave by the end of the week, with what he called “substantial separation packages”. They did not say how many jobs. The San Francisco Chronicle says Airtable had around 800 people before the deal.
He also said customers’ plans and prices do not change, and the support and customer-facing teams are staying. The new plan is smaller teams, faster work, and more focus on AI features.
Sources: Bending Spoons announcement, San Francisco Chronicle, The Verge.
This was not a surprise to everyone
Bending Spoons has done this before. They own Vimeo, Eventbrite, WeTransfer and others, and The Verge notes they are known for buying companies and then cutting staff. So people who follow the industry were not shocked. But knowing something might happen and it happening to you are very different things.
Some people online said the message was cold. Others said it was honest and normal for this type of owner. I can see both sides. The post did thank the team and said the decision was not about their work. But if you are one of the people leaving, I am not sure any wording makes it feel better.
What it made me think about
I have been in tech long enough to see a few acquisitions, mostly from the outside.
The thing I keep coming back to: when a company is sold, the new owner did not buy you. They bought the product, the customers and the revenue. People are part of the cost line. That is hard to read, but I think it is true, and it is better to know it.
This is one reason I do not treat work as family. I give my job a lot. I want my customers to do well. But I try not to tie who I am to one company’s logo. Logos change. Owners change. Sometimes in a month.
What stays with you
So what do I actually control? When I think about it, these things:
My relationships. In public sector sales, people move between departments, councils and suppliers. The person you helped honestly three years ago can be the person who calls you next year. Those relationships are mine, not my employer’s.
My skills. My technical background still helps me every week. I can sit with an architect or a security lead and understand the real problem. AI is changing the tools, so I keep learning the new ones. Not to chase hype, but because customers ask, and I want to give a straight answer.
My reputation. Did I tell the truth? Did I do what I said? That follows you more than any job title.
My routine and my home life. Gym in the morning, school run, football coaching with my daughter’s team. None of that is in a company org chart, and that is the point.
A note for the customer side
One more thought, from my seat as a seller. When Airtable says “nothing changes for customers”, I understand why they say it. But as a buyer, I would still ask questions. Who now knows my setup? Who do I call? A lot of what customers value is the people behind the product. In public sector, where projects run for years, this matters even more. If I was a customer I would want a clear, named contact and a plan, not only a promise.
My honest take
I do not think there are heroes or villains here. A company paid a lot of money and wants to run it their way. People who built the product are leaving. Both things are true.
For me, it was a reminder to check in with myself. Am I still learning? Am I keeping my network warm? Would I be okay if something changed quickly? If the answer is mostly yes, I can do my job with a calmer head, and that usually makes me better at it.
That is my note for this week.
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