Klarna eliminated hundreds of customer service jobs in favor of an AI chatbot built with OpenAI, but now the company is quietly hiring human agents back - as gig workers. The shift marks an about-face for the buy-now-pay-later giant and a signal that pure AI automation still can't fully replace human patience when customers need help understanding a failed payment.
The AI experiment hits a wall
In early 2024, Klarna launched an AI chatbot that automated work equivalent to roughly 800 full-time customer service agents. The system handled about 1.3 million inquiries per month, and the company cut customer service costs per transaction by 40%. Klarna's workforce shrank from around 5,500 employees in 2022 to a target of 3,400 by early 2025, with CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski suggesting the headcount could drop below 2,000 by 2030.
By May 2025, Siemiatkowski acknowledged the AI-only approach was degrading service quality. The pure automation strategy had hit its ceiling, forcing the company to rethink its model.
The hybrid gig model
Klarna is now piloting a hybrid system that brings human agents back through gig-style contracting. AI still handles roughly two-thirds of customer inquiries, while the remaining third is routed to human contractors. The arrangement lets the company scale support up or down without carrying the overhead of full-time salaries, benefits, and office space. Customer service roles that were once full-time positions are being reconstituted as flexible gig work, a shift that echoes broader trends in AI for Customer Support. Satisfaction scores in the new model have reportedly remained stable.
Klarna's crypto ambitions
Alongside the workforce changes, Klarna is pushing into crypto. The company announced KlarnaUSD, its own stablecoin, on November 25, 2025, with a public mainnet launch planned for 2026. The move aligns with partnerships for crypto wallet integration and funding services, adding another layer to the company's evolving strategy.
Why this matters for customer support professionals
For customer support workers, Klarna's experiment suggests the job isn't vanishing - it's fragmenting. Full-time roles with benefits are giving way to flexible gig contracts. While this offers more flexibility, it also means less stability. The emerging model demands adaptability: knowing when to lean on AI tools and when to step in with human empathy. Professionals who understand hybrid support systems will likely have an edge as other companies watch Klarna's results.
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