“Totally blindsided”: Cuts and job losses expected at Komoot after route planning app bought by Italian tech firm infamous for mass layoffs

Komoot’s staff say they have been “totally blindsided” by the news that the route planning app has been bought by Bending Spoons, an Italian tech firm infamous for implementing severe cuts and mass redundancies after purchasing companies.

The acquisition, which was confirmed on Thursday, comes in the same month Komoot announced that new users will be required to pay a monthly fee, currently £4.99 per month in the UK, in order to sync their routes to third-party devices.

Komoot, which enables users to find, plan, and share routes, was established in 2008 and currently boasts 45 million users, after emerging as an alternative to Strava.

According to Komoot’s CEO and co-founder Markus Hallermann, Bending Spoons’ “unique expertise in driving innovation and scaling platforms” means that it is “the perfect partner to lead Komoot into the future”.

However, according to sources close to the company, and reported by Sportive, most if not all jobs at the German company – which employs around 150 people, including 25 who work remotely from the UK – are currently at risk, as Bending Spoons assesses the brand during a brief transition phase.

2023 Komoot route - 1 (credit: road.cc)

While styling itself as a technology company, Bending Spoons is known primarily for purchasing other software platforms – and immediately laying off most of their staff.

Last year, the company bought WeTransfer and within months laid off 75 per cent of the file transfer service’s staff.

In 2023, it also culled the entire workforce at Evernote, folding its operations into Bending Spoons HQ in Italy, a process it repeated the following year at Mosaic Group, where all 330 employees were made redundant immediately following the acquisition.

Bending Spoons also laid off a “significant” portion of MeetUp’s workforce after buying the social media platform last year, while just this week the Italian firm sacked two-thirds of Brightcove’s US-based employees after buying the company in November.

So, it’s fair to conclude that the outlook for Komoot appears equally bleak. In a LinkedIn post responding to Komoot’s sale, insurance provider Bikmo’s chief growth officer Ben Thompson described Bending Spoons as “renowned for taking businesses and stripping the teams out”.

According to Thompson, “a significant number of Komoot staff will be made redundant almost immediately”.

A source has also told Sportive that “deep cuts” are now expected at the company, and that longstanding employees were “totally blindsided” by the announcement, which was made shortly after a remote company meeting on Thursday afternoon.

It is understood that most, if not all, of the jobs at Komoot are currently at risk, while the company’s sponsorship of cycling events such as the Komoot Women’s Rally series and Le Pilgrimage Gravel are also up in the air as Bending Spoons assesses its purchase.

2023 Komoot Garmin send to device (credit: komoot)

“For 17 years, we have been on a mission to make outdoor adventures accessible to all. From humble beginnings in our student rooms, we’ve built Komoot from the ground up and grown it to 45 million users, making it Europe’s leading outdoor platform,” CEO Hallerman said in a short statement announcing the purchase.

“Komoot inspires millions to explore the outdoors, improving both physical and mental well-being, and continues to grow worldwide.

“However, what got us here won’t take us to the next level. Scaling a company requires a different mindset and skill set than building one.

“That’s why we believe Bending Spoons, with its unique expertise in driving innovation and scaling platforms, is the perfect partner to lead Komoot into the future.”

Meanwhile, Luca Ferrari, Bending Spoons CEO and co-founder, added: “We’re deeply impressed by Komoot’s achievements over the past 17 years, and are enthusiastic about its future growth potential.

“By leveraging the Bending Spoons expertise and platform technologies, we’re confident we can help Komoot go from strength to strength for many years to come.”

> New Komoot users now must buy £4.99 monthly subscription to send routes to cycling computers

It is not yet known what effect Bending Spoons’ purchase of Komoot will have on the app’s users, though the decision to implement a premium subscription for new users earlier this month appears to be a direct result of the acquisition, which was understood to have been effectively finalised at the end of February.

Last week, Komoot announced that it was changing the way users are able to send routes to external devices, such as cycling computers, with new users now required to have an active Komoot Premium subscription in order to sync their routes to devices.

Previously, syncing required users to purchase or unlock specific Komoot map products — such as single regions, region bundles or the World Pack — but the functionality now requires a subscription instead.

2024 Komoot Garmin - 1 (credit: komoot)

However, existing accounts that purchased or unlocked Komoot maps before the end of February 2025 will continue to be able to plot and send their routes to external devices as they had before.

For new users however, the process will now require an active subscription, rather than a one-off payment to unlock a region. The premium subscription costs £4.99 per month here in the UK or £59.99 when billed annually, whereas single regions and region bundles previously cost £3.99 and £8.99 respectively (or £29.99 for the whole world).

Features previously available to users who had purchased an applicable region, including voice navigation, offline maps, and map updates, will now be covered by the premium subscription too.

Ultimately, it means new users will have to pay £59.99 per year for the functionality which previously would have been covered by a one-off payment of £29.99 for the World Pack of all maps.