Klarna has taken a confident step forward by blending its own AI innovations—developed with guidance from OpenAI—into everyday operations. Moving away from its long-time partner, Salesforce CRM, the company is reshaping its workforce by reducing traditional hiring and letting AI handle tasks that once needed a human touch. This shift isn’t just about cutting costs; it’s a well-calculated push towards streamlining processes, especially in customer service.
On Monday, Klarna shared forecasts suggesting that revenue per employee could soon hit nearly $1 million, climbing up from $575,000. A significant factor in this rise is the AI’s role in slashing customer service costs. Earlier plans included replacing around 700 full-time customer service roles with chatbots, though customers can now opt to speak with a human when they prefer. In March, the Swedish fintech firm even toyed with the idea of an IPO in the U.S. Only to put those plans on hold because of market jitters triggered by tariff changes announced by President Trump. Despite a 13% revenue boost to $701 million in Q1 2025, Klarna remains non-committal about restarting its IPO journey.
