Evernote fires nearly every US employee as it shifts operations to Europe

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
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in Mac Software

There are almost no Evernote employees remaining in the U.S. and Chile, as new owner Bending Spoons moves operations of the productivity tool to its native Europe.

Evernote
Evernote



In seemingly a continuation of layoffs affecting tech workers in the United States, Evernote has joined the party by announcing its own. Company owner Bending Spoons revealed on Saturday that it will be shifting its operations to be centered within Europe.

In a blog post, CEO Francesco Partarnello writes that the move is a step to "boost operational efficiency and to make the most of the Bending Spoons employer brand," which is supposedly "extremely strong in Europe."

As part of the transition, Bending Spoons told its workforce in Chile and the United States on July 5 that most of them will be laid off.

The layoffs will include what Bending Spoons refers to as a "substantial separation package," which includes 16 weeks of salary, up to a year of health insurance coverage, and a performance bonus paid pro-rata as if "year-end performance targets have already been achieved." Additional support is also offered, such as workers on a visa.

It is unclear how many employees are impacted by the layoffs, but it's not the first for Evernote. In February, 129 workers were laid off to combat unsustainable losses, a representative told TechCrunch at the time.

Rather than the U.S. and Chile, a team in Europe will manage Evernote, and will be expanding to match the brand's needs. This already includes some of Bending Spoon's workforce of over 400 people, with some having already been tasked with working on the app.

The layoffs herald the end of an era for Evernote, which has been in operation since 2000. Once valued at a billion dollars in 2013, the app was a major name in productivity and note-taking, but grew out of favor with the public.

Bending Spoons announced its acquisition of Evernote in November 2022, and completed the purchase in March 2023 for an unspecified amount. It joined a roster of Bending Spoon's existing apps, including the to-do app Splice, Remini, and 30 Day Fitness.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,436member
    Been a bumpy ride...Evernote premium user for nearly a decade but I had to raise the white flag and move to the free tier. 
  • Reply 2 of 7
    CuJoYYCCuJoYYC Posts: 86member
    The layoffs will include what Bending Spoons refers to as a "substantial separation package," which includes 16 weeks of salary, up to a year of health insurance coverage, and a performance bonus paid pro-rata as if "year-end performance targets have already been achieved." Additional support is also offered, such as workers on a visa.

    Compare and contrast the severance package with the kick-em-to-the-curb-like-Elon-Musk cheap-ass approach of far too many North American companies.
    FileMakerFellerwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 7
    BiCCBiCC Posts: 59
    CuJoYYC said:
    The layoffs will include what Bending Spoons refers to as a "substantial separation package," which includes 16 weeks of salary, up to a year of health insurance coverage, and a performance bonus paid pro-rata as if "year-end performance targets have already been achieved." Additional support is also offered, such as workers on a visa.

    Compare and contrast the severance package with the kick-em-to-the-curb-like-Elon-Musk cheap-ass approach of far too many North American companies.

    Twitter is not a Real technology company - you can write a certain amount of letters on a social platform - How on God's given Earth is that technology.  Did you know you could send an infinite amount of faxes through your computer and they will be a printed copy of your message to the recipient.  Which Government agency put Twitter on Pizza boxes? 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 7
    silverwarlocsilverwarloc Posts: 26member
    I stopped using Evernote since they started that premium branding.  Stayed with Apple's Notes instead.  Have not looked back since.
    williamlondondecoderringFileMakerFellerwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 7
    williamlondonwilliamlondon Posts: 1,398member
    silverwarloc said:
    I stopped using Evernote since they started that premium branding.  Stayed with Apple's Notes instead.  Have not looked back since.
    Agreed, it was such a great product back in the early days, then they went subscription (a personal big no-no), and for a simple note organising app, they act like they're a critical drawing or photo app with their prices. They simply aren't worth it. Like you, (after trying other apps) I went with Notes and though it's not on par with Evernote, it does provides enough functionality.

    Love that they're being Twitter-like dicks with this latest move, says a lot about a company how they treat their departing employees.
    decoderringwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 7
    decoderringdecoderring Posts: 53member
    Like other posters, I left Evernote when the subscription business happened. The product seemed pretty useless to me after that.

    I understand a business has to make money, but I wasn’t the target audience for the service and the need to pay for it.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 7
    FileMakerFellerFileMakerFeller Posts: 1,561member
    I wonder how much of this is driven by the geographic location of Evernotes' users and how much is from the "BS" company wanting to consolidate its workforce? If the majority of paying users are in Europe that makes it a more defensible decision.
    watto_cobra
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