Top freelance platform lays off nearly a third of its workforce

As Fiverr founder and CEO Micha Kaufman noted in the announcement, the company plans to actively integrate AI. Earlier, language learning app Duolingo has also announced plans to transition to an AI-driven model.

Kaufman describes the shift as a return to operating in «startup mode.» His goal is to make the company leaner and faster, with modern AI-focused infrastructure, a smaller team in which each person is more productive, and significantly fewer management layers. He also justifies the layoffs by explaining that the company no longer needs as many employees as before, since it has already integrated AI into its support and anti-fraud systems.

Kaufman had discussed the AI threat to employees in a May interview. He advised people to fully automate their work, while asserting this wouldn’t lead to their replacement because they would still be needed for unconventional thinking and decision-making. Evidently, this advice did not help a third of his own employees.