Vimeo, the video-hosting platform founded in 2004, has laid off the majority of its workforce just months after being acquired by Italian tech company Bending Spoons for $1.38 billion in November 2025. The layoffs were announced on January 20, 2026, marking a significant blow to the company’s operations and future development.
Scale of the Layoffs
While Bending Spoons declined to disclose the exact number of employees affected, reports indicate that the cuts impacted a “large portion” of the company’s total workforce. Former Vimeo employees shared their experiences on social media, with some describing the layoffs as affecting “most of the company” and notably including the entire video team—a critical department for a video-hosting platform.
Dave Brown, Vimeo’s former Vice President of Global Brand and Creative, confirmed the layoffs on LinkedIn, stating he and “a large portion of the company” had been impacted. Software engineer Steve Dixon similarly reported being laid off “along with a gigantic amount of the company.”
This represents Vimeo’s second major round of layoffs since September 2025, when the company cut 10% of its full-time workforce before the Bending Spoons acquisition was finalized.
Bending Spoons’ Pattern of Cost-Cutting
The Vimeo layoffs follow Bending Spoons’ established playbook of aggressive cost reduction following acquisitions. The Milan-based company, which owns a collection of software properties including Evernote, Meetup, and WeTransfer, has demonstrated a consistent strategy: acquire companies and rapidly eliminate labor costs to recoup investments.
In 2023, Bending Spoons acquired Filmic and immediately dismissed all 22 members of the original team, including the founder and CEO. WeTransfer experienced similar treatment in July 2024, with 75% of its staff laid off within months of acquisition. PetaPixel reports that team members initially retained at other Bending Spoons acquisitions were eventually released by mid-2025.
Future Uncertainty for the Platform
Founded a year before YouTube in 2004, Vimeo has positioned itself as a premium alternative for hosting creative and professional videos. In recent years, the company had shifted focus toward AI-powered creator tools, including script-writing and video-editing features announced in 2023.
With nearly its entire workforce eliminated and the critical video team gone, significant questions remain about Vimeo’s ability to maintain and develop its platform. A Bending Spoons spokesperson stated the company “remains committed to growing Vimeo to meet the needs of its diverse user base,” though employees and industry observers remain skeptical given the firm’s historical track record.
One former employee captured the sentiment on social media, expressing frustration that something they built was “killed by private equity in a technology company skin suit.”
Photo by WilliamCho on Pixabay