--- title: "What happens to your data if your tool changes hands?" description: "Bending Spoons bought Airtable and cut staff. What it means for your data and a practical exit plan, without migrating anything." author: "Traiker Team" url: https://traiker.com/en/blog/what-happens-to-your-data-when-your-tool-changes-hands date: 2026-10-17T11:23:06Z updated: 2026-10-29T19:22:39Z lang: en --- # What happens to your data if your tool changes hands? > Bending Spoons bought Airtable and cut a large part of its staff. We explain what happened, why people talk about vendor risk and how to prepare an exit plan for your data without migrating anything. ## In short Bending Spoons bought Airtable and, weeks later, announced the departure of a large part of the staff that was there before the purchase. Airtable assures customers that neither the plan, nor the price, nor the service will change. Even so, the question deserves a calm answer: if your tool changes hands, could you take your data with you tomorrow? At Traiker we start from a simple rule: **your data is yours: we don't train models on it or process it**. You can export or delete it whenever you want, and your agents use it without tying you to us. ## What has happened with Airtable? Bending Spoons closed the purchase of Airtable on 4 September 2026, for around $1.28 billion according to [InformationWeek](https://www.informationweek.com/it-strategy/airtable-s-post-acquisition-layoffs-put-vendor-risk-in-focus) (around $1.3 billion according to the [San Francisco Chronicle](https://www.sfchronicle.com/tech/article/airtable-layoffs-bending-spoons-acquisition-22475599.php)). On 12 October, the new head of product [announced](https://www.airtable.com/newsroom/back-to-bases) that they are saying goodbye to “a large part” of the team from before the purchase, with severance packages. It hasn't been said how many people that is; the Chronicle recalls that the company had around 800 before the purchase. In the same statement, Airtable announces a more powerful MCP, so that the AI tools you already use can work with Airtable, and options to “bring your own agent” and your own keys. What's more, Airtable already has an [MCP server](https://support.airtable.com/articles/9897799762-using-the-airtable-mcp-server) available on all plans. That is good news for anyone working with agents. ## Why do people talk about vendor risk? Because when the owner changes, priorities can change, even if nothing changes today. InformationWeek puts it this way: a layoff announcement isn't enough to know whether a provider will remain reliable. The sensible thing is to understand what the new owner intends, measure the service over time and have a credible path to another solution. Or, as one of the experts it quotes puts it, having an exit strategy doesn't mean you are going to leave, but that you are prepared for changes. This isn't a problem specific to Airtable. It can happen to any tool where your team's data lives, including ours. That's why it's worth asking [who owns your AI agent's memory](https://traiker.com/en/blog/who-owns-your-ai-agents-memory). ## How do you prepare an exit plan without migrating anything? A practical checklist for any tool, whether Airtable, Notion or Traiker: 1. **Take inventory.** Which processes depend on the tool, who is responsible for each one and which integrations, automations and agents use it. 2. **Test the export today, not the day you need it.** In Airtable, [each table is downloaded as a CSV](https://support.airtable.com/articles/5189551686-getting-started-with-airtable-views) from a view with no filters or hidden fields. There is no export of the whole base in a single file, and attachments go separately. 3. **Note what doesn't travel.** According to [Airtable's help](https://support.airtable.com/docs/regional-access-restrictions), the CSV does not include attachments, comments, field descriptions or data stored only in extensions. 4. **Review the contract.** Change of control, termination, data processing and migration. Renewal is a good time to ask for clear commitments. 5. **Separate the data from the tool.** If your agents read through [MCP](https://traiker.com/en/blog/what-is-mcp-memory-chatgpt-claude-grok) from a source you control, changing application or assistant breaks nothing. 6. **Decide in advance what would make you move.** Service outages, changes in price or features, or security commitments that weaken. 7. **Schedule regular backups** and check that they can be opened. ## What changes if your data lives in a place of your own? The owner of the tool stops being the owner of your context. At Traiker each person or company has their own encrypted database. ChatGPT, Claude or Grok query it through MCP; we're opening access gradually in the beta, and if you change assistant one day, your data stays in the same place. We looked at this when explaining [how to switch from ChatGPT to Claude without losing your memory](https://traiker.com/en/blog/switch-from-chatgpt-to-claude-without-losing-memory). Before choosing, review [what to demand before giving your data to an AI without losing control](https://traiker.com/en/blog/use-ai-with-your-data-without-losing-control) or read our comparison [Traiker vs Notion for your agents' context](https://traiker.com/en/compare/traiker-vs-notion). ## Frequently asked questions ### Should I leave Airtable? Not because of one announcement. Airtable has said that plans, prices and service aren't changing, and it is investing in MCP and agents. The reasonable thing is to have the exit plan ready and keep an eye on how things develop. ### What happens to my Traiker data if Traiker changes hands? It is still yours: we don't train models on it or process it. You can export or delete it whenever you want. ### Does an MCP server prevent you from getting locked in? It helps different assistants read your data, but it doesn't replace being able to export it. What matters is who controls the source. If you want your agents to work with data that is yours and that you can take with you, [sign up for the Traiker beta](https://traiker.com/en/early-access).