Speaking at Klarna’s Stockholm headquarters, Siemiatkowski conceded, “As cost unfortunately seems to have been a too predominant evaluation factor when organizing this, what you end up having is lower quality.” The company had frozen hiring for over a year to scale its AI capabilities but now plans to recalibrate its customer service model.
In a strategic shift, Klarna is restarting recruitment for customer support roles — a rare move that reflects the company’s need to restore the quality of human interaction. A new pilot program is underway that allows remote workers — including students and individuals in rural areas — to provide customer service on-demand in an “Uber-like setup.” Currently, two agents are part of the trial.
“We also know there are tons of Klarna users that are very passionate about our company and would enjoy working for us,” Siemiatkowski said.
He stressed the importance of giving customers the option to speak to a human, citing both brand and operational needs.
Despite dialing back on AI-led customer support, Klarna is not walking away from AI altogether. The company is continuing to rebuild its tech stack with AI at the core, aiming to improve operational efficiency. It is also developing a digital financial assistant designed to help users secure better interest rates and insurance options.
Klarna maintains a close relationship with OpenAI, a collaboration that began in 2023. “We wanted to be [OpenAI’s] favorite guinea pig,” Siemiatkowski noted, reinforcing the company’s long-term commitment to leveraging AI.
Klarna’s course correction follows a turbulent financial period. After peaking at a $45.6 billion valuation in 2021, the company saw its value drop to $6.7 billion in 2022. It has since rebounded and aims to raise $1 billion via an IPO, targeting a valuation exceeding $15 billion — though IPO plans have been paused due to market volatility.
The company’s 2024 announcement that AI was handling the workload of 700 human agents disrupted the call center industry, leading to a sharp drop in shares of Teleperformance SE, a major outsourcing firm.
While Klarna is resuming hiring, its overall workforce is expected to shrink. “In a year’s time, we’ll probably be down to about 2,500 people from 3,000,” Siemiatkowski said, noting that attrition and further AI improvements will likely drive continued headcount reductions.
