Last year, Klarna embarked on an ambitious journey, harnessing its internally developed AI systems, rooted in OpenAI’s technology, to streamline operations and enhance productivity. Far from simply making ambitious claims, the global buy now, pay later giant implemented tangible measures to realize its vision. Klarna terminated its expensive contract with Salesforce CRM, significantly reduced new hiring, and effectively incorporated AI to take over tasks traditionally performed by employees.
This strategic pivot toward artificial intelligence has significantly bolstered Klarna’s efficiency metrics. The company announced on Monday that it is now approaching a milestone of $1 million in revenue per employee, a remarkable increase from the previous year’s figure of $575,000. According to Klarna’s latest financial disclosures, much of this substantial rise in productivity stems from sharply reduced customer service expenditures, following a move to automated AI-driven support.
Initially, the company had committed itself to substituting nearly 700 full-time customer support contractors with AI chatbot solutions. Recently, however, it revised this approach somewhat by reintroducing an option for users to engage with human customer support representatives upon request.
In March, Klarna publicly registered its intent to pursue a highly anticipated initial public offering (IPO) on the U.S. stock market. Yet, these plans were abruptly paused last month due to market turbulence stemming from President Trump’s announcement of new tariffs. Despite a healthy 13% year-over-year growth, posting total revenues of $701 million for the first quarter of 2025, Klarna has offered no clarified timing regarding the relaunch of its IPO efforts.
