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Graduate Software Engineer

Bending Spoons

£85,797

Remote

Apply Now

Bending Spoons · Remote · £85,797

Apply Now

Honest Review

By Robert (Recent Uni Grad)

Bending Spoons is a Milan-based tech company that acquires consumer software products and runs them with small, lean teams [1] Bending Spoons — About . Their portfolio includes Evernote, WeTransfer, Vimeo, Remini, StreamYard, and AOL, among others [1] Bending Spoons — About . This is a full-stack software engineering role across whatever products you get assigned to, with full ownership from day one. The salary is £85,797 in London, which is above average for a graduate role. Worth knowing upfront: Bending Spoons' business model involves acquiring companies and cutting staff aggressively. After acquiring WeTransfer they laid off 75% of staff; after Brightcove, around 198 of 600+ employees went [2] TechCrunch: Bending Spoons plans to lay off 75% of WeTransfer staff . If you join as a Spooner (their term for employees), you are on the acquiring side, not the acquired side, so this is less of a direct personal risk. But it does tell you something about the culture and pace. The selection process involves multi-hour technical tests with a high bar. You are also expected to spend your first few months in the Milan office regardless of your agreed long-term location.

About the Company

• Bending Spoons acquires consumer and B2B software products and operates them with small, high-output teams [1] Bending Spoons — About

• Portfolio includes Evernote, WeTransfer, Vimeo, Remini, StreamYard, Meetup, Komoot, and AOL [1] Bending Spoons — About

• Around 400–500 employees across Milan, London, and remote [1] Bending Spoons — About

About the Role

• A full-stack software engineering role working across Bending Spoons' product portfolio

• You get full ownership of your work from the start, regardless of seniority

• Tech stack varies by product but spans Python, Rust, Kubernetes, Docker, gRPC, REST, and both monolithic and microservices architectures

• Role can be based in London, Milan, Madrid, Warsaw, or fully remote after an initial period in Milan

Key Responsibilities

• Building and maintaining software across diverse tech stacks

• Owning features end-to-end from design to production

• Optimising CI/CD pipelines and system architecture

• Working in small autonomous teams on products used at scale

Requirements

Strong reasoning and problem-solving ability
Proficiency in English
No specific degree requirement. Assessed on merit

Nice-to-haves

Experience with Python, Rust, Kubernetes, Docker, or microservices
Prior exposure to full-stack development

Benefits

⭐ Relocation package⭐ Yearly company retreat

Potential Red Flags

• First few months required in Milan office regardless of agreed long-term location — relocation support provided but mandatory
• Bending Spoons consistently lays off large portions of staff at acquired companies post-acquisition (e.g. 75% at WeTransfer, ~33% at Brightcove) [2] TechCrunch: Bending Spoons plans to lay off 75% of WeTransfer staff
• Selection process involves multi-hour technical tests with a high bar
• Contract may be permanent or fixed-term. Confirm at offer stage

What is this?

At HonestGrad, we review the company and application process to flag any potential issues you might experience. These are subjective observations based on our research. They don't necessarily mean the job is bad, just things worth being aware of.