Following the decision to expand its paywall, and cut free features, Komoot has been sold to Italian tech company Bending Spoons, which also owns WeTransfer and Evernote.
The route planning app company could now see significant workforce cuts, if history is anything to go by.
Bending Spoons buyouts have a track record for ruthless efficiency – when it bought Evernote in 2022, it ultimately laid off almost all staff, with operations moved from the US to Europe. When it bought WeTransfer last year, 75% of staff were laid off.
There have not been any announcements around streamlining at Komoot as yet, but it's likely a lot of people with a lot of experience at the company are currently holding their breath.
A source close to Komoot said that its 150 staff (around 25 of whom are UK-based) had been told to expect "deep cuts", according to a report by Sportive.
If you're one of its 45 million users, you may have noticed that since the end of February, functions such as downloading routes or syncing them to a GPS unit now require a Premium subscription.
This is going to cost you £59.99 / $59.99 for the Premium membership, or up to £29.99 to unlock world maps offline.
For anyone who has become used to enjoying this functionality for free, this might come as a bit of a shock, but Komoot's acquisition by Bending Spoons sheds some light on the decision.
It would not be unreasonable to make the assumption that Komoot's new business model is geared towards making it better value, on paper, for its new buyer. It also brings it in line with Strava, which requires a similarly-priced subscription if you want to create and download routes.
However, there are free platforms that allow this and given that unlike Strava, for example, route creation is Komoot's chief USP, it could drive some users elsewhere.
Komoot is Germany-based and was founded 17 years ago and has become a household name in mapping and riding apps.
Its CEO Markus Hallermann said of the deal: "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."
