Welcome back to Mayhem & Masterplans, where Max, Simon, and Andreas prove once again that you don’t need a unicorn valuation to have sharp insights - just a mic, a business model, and maybe a good Italian espresso. This week, we dig into the story behind Bending Spoons, the Milan-based tech juggernaut quietly building an empire by acquiring apps, cutting costs, and rewriting the playbook on buy vs. build.

In this episode, we:

🔹 Unpacked the rise of Bending Spoons – From building mobile apps in Milan to acquiring Evernote, Meetup, Komoot, and even WeTransfer. Simon walks us through how they buy, refactor, and relaunch tools with leaner teams, and Andreas wants to know: does gutting the original dev team ever work?

🔹 Debated tech takeovers – Can you really hand over a full product to a new engineering team and expect it to thrive? Simon breaks down the logic behind rewriting from scratch, and Andreas asks what’s actually preserved: the user base, the logo… or just the brand equity?

🔹 Explored business model evolution – Is this the anti-VC model Europe’s been waiting for? Max contrasts Bending Spoons with Germany’s Platform Group and argues we might be seeing the rise of private equity for product-led growth.

🔹 Talked synergy and scale – From shared analytics stacks to AWS discounts and centralized marketing, the crew discusses how backend efficiency fuels Bending Spoons' operating model—and where that can (and can’t) scale across different tech stacks.

🔹 Questioned the VC hype cycle – Remember 15-minute grocery delivery apps? So do we. Andreas and Max unpack the problem with unicorn chasing and argue for building long-term category leaders instead of burning cash on blitzscale dreams.

🔹 Got real about European ambition – Are European founders too cautious—or just more sustainable? Max argues that Germany’s family-owned Mittelstand is ready to think global, while Andreas points out that most prefer stability over scale.

🔹 Found some mayhem in Berlin’s public transport – Spoiler: random strikes are not a scalable mobility solution.

And, of course, we are closing the episode with our musicial choices for the week – From metalcore to moody pop to mellow guitar solos, here’s what’s been in our ears last:

🎵 Evidence – Lamb of God (Andreas repping metal and coincidence-core)

🎵 Watch – Billie Eilish (Simon brings mayhem with moody minimalism)

🎵 Last Train Home – John Mayer (Max cools it down with some soft rock soul)

Subscribe to Mayhem & Masterplans wherever you get your podcasts - and follow us for behind-the-scenes chaos, unsolicited business takes, and occasional existential crises:

📍 Max

📍 Simon

📍 Andreas

This podcast is produced by Hypecast Productions

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