WeTransfer co-founder launches Boomerang file-sharing tool

Nalden, who co-founded the file-sharing service WeTransfer in 2009 and left the company in 2019, has launched a new file-sharing service called Boomerang. The launch of the worldwide service is a direct response to Nalden’s dissatisfaction with the changes implemented at WeTransfer since its acquisition by Bending Spoons, a Milan-based tech firm. WeTransfer currently has over 70 million monthly active users.

Nalden has publicly criticized the new direction of WeTransfer under its new owner. He expressed specific grievances regarding Bending Spoons’ management, which has laid off 75% of its staff and employed user content to train AI models. Nalden, the co-founder of WeTransfer, stated: “Bending Spoons doesn’t really care about people. Even though I get that it is their private equity strategy, I notice that since I left [WeTransfer] in 2019, there were a lot of updates that were basically killing the product, in my point of view”. He noted that a private equity strategy is a business approach focused on investment and restructuring.

The new platform is designed to contrast with the complexity Nalden perceives in modern tech tools. In response, Nalden designed Boomerang to focus entirely on user experience and simplicity, allowing users to transfer files without logging in. He questioned why technology companies make things complicated, noting his desire to offer a tool focused on ease of use and the simplicity of sharing quickly to save time without requiring sign-ups or email verification. He explained that he wanted to provide a tool that simply works for users, comparing it to buying a basic hammer rather than a fancy one. The service is currently available on the web, with a Mac app in development and coming soon.

Boomerang structures its file-sharing limits and pricing across three tiers:

• Non-login experience: This tier offers 1GB of total storage and a 1GB file size limit, with a seven-day expiration on shared files.
• Free account: Creating a free account bumps these limits to 3GB of total storage and a 3GB file size limit.
• Paid tier: Priced at €6.99 per-month, this tier provides 500GB total storage, a 5GB file size limit, up to 200GB per folder, and file expiration of up to 90 days.

Why it matters

Nalden’s launch of Boomerang highlights a growing tension between legacy product founders and private equity-backed restructuring, specifically regarding user experience and data practices in the worldwide file-sharing market.