Overview

• Sebastian Siemiatkowski warned that AI-driven automation replacing white-collar roles usually triggers short-term recessions.
• Klarna’s headcount fell from about 5,500 to 3,000 employees over two years during a hiring freeze and AI rollout.
• The company’s OpenAI-powered assistant has performed the equivalent work of 700 full-time customer service agents since February 2024.
• Quality issues with AI-only support led Klarna in May to resume recruiting remote customer service agents in a flexible, hybrid model.
• Credit losses at Klarna rose 17% to $136 million last year, underscoring financial pressures linked to workforce shifts.