Klarna is pivoting back to human customer service. CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski made headlines at London SXSW after addressing the company’s recent decision to hire human workers again. Klarna previously claimed that its AI technology could replace 700 jobs, but Siemiatkowski stated, "Two things can be true at the same time."
Klarna once boasted 5,500 employees, but that number has plummeted to around 3,000. Despite the layoffs, Siemiatkowski clarified there are still opportunities for human workers. “We think offering human customer service is always going to be a VIP thing,” he remarked, comparing it to bespoke clothing versus mass production.
He elaborated on the balance between AI and human roles. Engineering jobs at Klarna haven’t seen the same cuts as other departments. Siemiatkowski pointed out a trend of business-savvy coders emerging within the organization. 
"I think that category of people will become even more valuable going forward,” Siemiatkowski noted.
He practices what he preaches, using ChatGPT to learn coding and understand data better. “I’ll take a Slack thread, I’ll throw it in ChatGPT and say, ‘This makes sense, right?’”
Siemiatkowski also acknowledged the rise of fintech scams, stating, “AI is obviously accelerating this.” He discussed Klarna’s decision to abandon Salesforce and Workday in favor of data consolidation to enhance AI efficiency.
“The only way forward is going to be to consolidate [data],” he said.
On the topic of a potential IPO, Siemiatkowski indicated Klarna could be moving forward soon but remained vague. “I’m happy there’s less turbulence in the market,” he commented with a smile.
In a bold hypothetical, he wished to reinstate the U.K. as part of the EU, prompting applause from the audience.
