Fiverr Is Laying Off 250 Employees To Become An 'ai-first Company'

Gig system level Fiverr is laying disconnected 250 labor arsenic it pivots to being an "AI-first company," CEO Micha Kaufman shared successful an effort connected X. The move affects astir 30 percent of nan company's staff, The Register writes, and it's not uncommon among tech companies successful 2025. Duolingo announced akin plans to go "AI-first" successful April.

Kaufman describes this process arsenic returning to "startup mode" and writes that his eventual extremity is to move Fiverr into "an AI-first institution that's leaner, faster, pinch a modern AI-focused tech infrastructure, a smaller team, each pinch substantially greater productivity, and acold less guidance layers." Part of nan justification Kaufman offers for why Fiverr doesn't "need arsenic galore group to run nan existing business" is that nan institution has already integrated AI into its customer support and fraud discovery programs.

The first motion that Fiverr mightiness warrant layoffs pinch AI came erstwhile Kaufman was interviewed by CBS News successful May 2025 astir nan threat nan exertion posed to employees. Kaufman specifically advised labor to "automate 100 percent" of what they do pinch AI, while besides claiming that wouldn't make them replaceable because they were still tin of "non-linear thinking" and "judgement calls." That proposal doesn't look for illustration it was yet adjuvant for Fiverr's ain employees.

The company's cuts impact less group than a larger patient for illustration Workday, who announced plans to eliminate 1,750 roles successful February 2025. Regardless of nan size of nan institution aliases its level of finance successful AI, though, layoffs person nan aforesaid effect: More activity has to beryllium done by less people.