CEO Klarna
Co-founder and CEO of Klarna. Known for aggressive AI adoption strategy that reduced workforce by 40%. Publicly admitted AI-driven cuts 'went too far'.
Sebastian Siemiatkowski revealed that AI adoption drove 40% workforce reduction at Klarna, from 5,000 to 3,000 employees since 2022. He stopped new hiring and stated target is 2,000 employees. Revenue per employee increased from $400K to $700K. Warned AI could cause recession and that 'tech bros' are sugarcoating job displacement.
Sebastian Siemiatkowski publicly admitted that Klarna overestimated AI capabilities and the AI-driven transition negatively affected service quality. Customer ratings dipped and complaints increased. He conceded 'cost unfortunately seems to have been a too predominant evaluation factor' and announced rehiring humans.