AOL Returns To Wall Street Spotlight With IPO Of New Corporate Parent Bending Spoons

Deadline Published Jul 1, 2026 Reviewed Jul 4, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors

Bending Spoons reported $601.3 million in total revenue for the first quarter, up from $248.9 million in the year-earlier period.

601300000 USD · first quarter total revenue248900000 USD · year-earlier period total revenue

Bending Spoons posted $27.5 million in net profit in the first quarter, reversing a year-ago loss of $112.2 million.

27500000 USD · first quarter net profit112200000 USD · year-ago net loss

Bending Spoons' initial public offering on the Nasdaq saw its shares rise 40% to close at $40.50, raising about $1 billion for the company.

40 % · Bending Spoons sharesabout 1 $ · IPO proceeds

Founded in 2013, Bending Spoons is valued at about $11 billion and owns a portfolio of more than 50 digital companies whose combined brands reach roughly 500 million monthly active users.

about 11 $ · Bending Spoons valuationmore than 50 · digital companiesabout 500 million · monthly active users

In its first quarter, Bending Spoons reported total revenue of $601.3 million, up from $248.9 million a year earlier, and posted a net profit of $27.5 million, reversing a $112.2 million loss the previous year.

601.3 $ · total revenue248.9 $ · total revenue previous year27.5 $ · net profit112.2 $ · net loss previous year

Bending Spoons spent nearly $1.5 billion to acquire AOL from Yahoo last fall.

nearly 1.5 $ · acquisition cost

AOL's main website experienced a 20% increase in traffic over the past year among users aged 25 to 54.

20 % · traffic increase

Steve Case, AOL co‑founder, posted on X that AOL went public in 1992 at a market value of $70 million, rose to $160 billion seven years later, and is now public again.

70 $ · market value at IPO160 $ · market value peak Steve Case, co‑founder

Bending Spoons, the Milan-based company founded in 2013, raised about $1 billion in its initial public offering on the Nasdaq, with shares rising 40% to close at $40.50.

about 1000000000 USD · IPO proceeds40 % · share price increase40.5 USD · closing share price

Bending Spoons owns a portfolio of more than 50 digital companies, including AOL, Eventbrite, Evernote, Vimeo, WeTransfer and Meetup, which collectively have about 500 million monthly active users.

more than 50 · number of digital companies in portfolioabout 500000000 · monthly active users across portfolio

AOL’s main website saw a 20% gain in traffic over the past year among users aged 25 to 54.

20 % · traffic growth

A quarter-century after it swallowed Time Warner in one of history’s splashiest and most ill-fated mergers, AOL returned to the Wall Street spotlight Wednesday with a new corporate parent, Bending Spoons.

The Milan, Italy-based company had its initial public offering on the Nasdaq, with shares rising 40% to finish at $40.50. The IPO raised about $1 billion for the company, with additional proceeds going to shareholders.

Founded in 2013 and valued at about $11 billion based on its most recent financing round, Bending Spoons owns a portfolio of more than 50 digital companies. The roster includes AOL, Eventbrite, Evernote, Vimeo, WeTransfer and Meetup. Collectively, the brands have about 500 million monthly active users.

In the first quarter, Bending Spoons reported total revenue of $601.3 million, up from $248.9 million in the year-earlier period. It posted $27.5 million in net profit, reversing a year-ago loss of $112.2 million.

The strategy of growing via acquisitions, co-founder Matteo Danieli said at a Nasdaq opening bell ringing ceremony, “has given us the opportunity to reinvent iconic digital products.”

Bending Spoons spent nearly $1.5 billion to acquire AOL last fall from Yahoo, which is largely backed by private equity giant Apollo. While the deal valuation prompted some raised eyebrows from investors more familiar with the service’s dial-up heritage and role in the Time Warner fiasco, AOL has shown surprising resilience. Its main website saw a 20% gain in traffic over the past year among users aged 25 to 54. Along with ad revenue, it makes money by selling a range of services, including protection against identity theft and malware attacks.

“Déjà vu all over again!” AOL co-founder Steve Case posted in a message on X. “AOL went public in 1992 (first Internet IPO) at a market value of $70 million. Rose to $160 billion 7 years later, at peak of the dot com mania. Then started a sad decline. Glad to see AOL is now public again … Hoping for the best!”

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