“Buy now, pay later” service provider Klarna CEO publishes the list of laid off employees, causing controversy

On the evening of June 1, Beijing time, it was reported that Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO of Klarna, a Swedish “buy now, pay later” service provider, said on LinkedIn today on the workplace social networking site. (LinkedIn)Published a list of laid off workers, including hundredswhich sparked a heated debate.

Klarna recently decided to lay off some employees as part of a plan to contain costs. The company’s CEO, Simyatkowski, released the list of the former employees on LinkedIn today, writing: “I have mixed feelings about this document because it reflects both the outgoing departures. The ability of the staff also reflects a very difficult decision, which makes me deeply saddened.”

In response, a Klarna spokesperson said,The people on the list are registered voluntarily and it was created by an employee who remained in the company.

But reactions to the list were mixed: some were angry, some praised (for attracting the attention of recruiters). Finansforbundet, the largest union in Sweden’s financial industry, said it had asked Klarna to discuss the list.

Ulrika Boethius, president of Finansforbundet, said in an email that Klarna has not consulted our union on the job cuts, but expects to hear about it soon.

A Klarna spokesman said the company had not issued a dismissal notice and was therefore not obligated to notify the union, but hoped to reach an agreement with the employees involved.If there is a layoff in the future, it will be dealt with in accordance with laws and regulations.

Klarna is one of the largest providers of “buy now, pay later” services that allow people to finance purchases interest-free during monthly installments. These services have become especially popular since the COVID-19 pandemic.

In June last year, Klarna announced that it had received $639 million in a new round of financing, led by SoftBank, valuing the company at $45.6 billion. But reports last month that Klarna is raising new funding at a valuation of just $30 billion underscores the current woes facing tech companies.