The CEO of layaway startup Klarna is claiming that AI is coming for your white-collar jobs — even though his own actions have made him an international poster boy for AI-obsessed executives itching to replace human workers with AI.
Speaking to The Times Tech podcast, the Sweden-based CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski admitted that adoption of the technology will result in "implication[s] for white-collar jobs" that include, but are not limited to, "at least a recession in the short term."
"Unfortunately, I don't see how we could avoid it, with what's happening from a technology perspective," the CEO said in reference to job loss and a recession.
On that part, unfortunately, he may be right: we've been careening headlong towards a recession for a while now, and unemployment rates — affected, no doubt, by AI-obsessed CEOs like Siemiatkowski laying people off in droves — are a huge factor.
Still, those are bold words coming from this particular Swedish CEO, considering that just a few weeks ago, he admitted to Bloomberg that he's looking to rehire for some of the 700 customer service positions he boasted about replacing with AI