According to Klarna’s CEO, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, the company has halted hiring because artificial intelligence is capable of performing all the tasks that humans can.
While the advent of AI is thrilling, it has also raised concerns among individuals about the potential for AI to replace human jobs.
This possibility may be closer than anticipated, as Klarna ceased hiring a year ago, despite job postings appearing online, as reported by Business Insider.
During an interview with Bloomberg TV, Siemiatkowski expressed his belief that “AI can already do all of the jobs that we as humans do.”
“It’s just a question of how we apply it and use it,” he further commented.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItG8Cqs5ug
Siemiatkowski elaborated on Klarna’s hiring practices over the past year, which diverge from those of other companies in the industry.
“I think what we’ve done internally hasn’t been reported as widely. We stopped hiring about a year ago, so we were 4,500 and now we’re 3,500,” he explained.
“We have a natural attrition as every tech company. People stay about five years, so 20% leave every year. By not hiring, we’re simply shrinking, right?”
The CEO also shared his optimism for Klarna’s future, particularly with its ‘buy now, pay later’ service for various products.
He described the credit card industry as a ‘trillion dollar market opportunity,’ mentioning that Klarna is just a ‘tiny piece of that.’
Last year, Elon Musk discussed the ‘uncomfortable’ reality of AI in a conversation with then UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The Twitter owner cautioned that there may come a time when “no job is needed,” though he added that people could work if they wished “for personal satisfaction.”
“You can have a job if you want to for personal satisfaction, AI can do everything,” Musk noted.
“I don’t know if that makes people comfortable or uncomfortable. It’s both good and bad.”
“One of the challenges in future will be how do we find meaning in life. We won’t have universal basic income but universal high income. It’ll be good for education – it’ll be the best tutor.”
Musk also suggested that AI robots might become friends rather than adversaries in the future.
“An AI with memory could know you better than you know yourself – you could actually have a great friend,” the billionaire remarked.