# How Bending Spoons Picked 286 Out of 800,000 Job Applications The $21B company's hiring process is 100x more selective than Ivy Leagues. - **Source:** [Fortune](https://fortune.com) - **Published:** 2026-07-15 - **Topic:** [People & Culture](https://brifing.si/c/people) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/8b974f2a-8b39-4e70-b419-78ad306f8533 ## The Scale of Competition Bending Spoons, the $21B company behind Eventbrite and Vimeo, received 800,000 job applications last year but hired only 286 candidates. This equates to a 0.04% acceptance rate—100 times more selective than Ivy League universities. ## The Screening Process 60,000 candidates who passed the initial screening underwent tests evaluating reasoning, judgment, and learning speed. Interviews followed, supported by algorithms analyzing quantitative and qualitative traits. Only 9% of interviewees received offers. ## The Flaws of Traditional Interviews CEO Luca Ferrari calls conventional interviews 'completely useless,' likening them to a coin toss. Bending Spoons developed a comprehensive evaluation process to assess candidates holistically. ## Gen Z's Tough Job Market Entry-level Gen Zers face mounting challenges as tech giants like Meta and Google slow hiring. Match Group's 30,000 applications for 27 internship spots highlight the intense competition. ## Competition Beyond Big Names Even smaller firms like Gecko Robotics saw 40,000 applicants for 32 internships—a 0.08% acceptance rate. This surpasses the selectivity of many global corporations. ## Economic Uncertainty's Impact AI and economic volatility are forcing companies to be more selective. Goldman Sachs' sub-1% internship acceptance rate reflects industry trends. Finding top talent has never been more critical. ## Sources covering this story - https://fortune.com/2026/07/15/bending-spoons-hired-0-04-of-800000-job-applicants-2025-ceo-says-hiring-unlike-useless-interviews/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._