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Fiverr Cuts 250 Jobs In Shift To “AI-First Company” Strategy
The gig-economy platform will cut 30% of its staff in the upcoming pivot, citing productivity gains from automation and a flatter structure.
Fiverr is laying off 250 employees — around 30 percent of its workforce — as the gig-economy platform pivots to an AI-first company. CEO Micha Kaufman announced the move in an essay posted to X, describing it as a shift back toward a startup-style operation with fewer management layers.
— Micha Kaufman (@michakaufman) September 15, 2025
Kaufman said the cuts reflect a new operating model: “An AI-first company that’s leaner, faster, with a modern AI-focused tech infrastructure, a smaller team, each with substantially greater productivity, and far fewer management layers,” he wrote. Fiverr has already deployed AI in customer support and fraud detection, reducing its need for headcount to maintain core services.
Hints that Fiverr might use AI to justify layoffs surfaced earlier this year. In a May interview with CBS News, Kaufman advised employees to “automate 100 percent” of their work with AI, while arguing they would still be needed for judgment calls and non-linear thinking. That advice has not shielded Fiverr’s own staff from redundancy.
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Fiverr’s announcement follows a wider pattern across the tech sector in 2025, with companies citing AI to rationalize job cuts. Duolingo declared its intention to become “AI-first” back in April, and Workday announced plans in February to cut 1,750 positions — far more than Fiverr but driven by the same pivot toward automation.
For affected employees, the outcome is familiar: fewer people left to shoulder more work. For Fiverr, the gamble is betting that automation will keep it competitive in a crowded gig-work market where platforms are racing to integrate artificial intelligence.
News
Saudi Digital Payments Reach 80% As Cash Use Shrinks
Visa data shows cards and mobile wallets dominate spending, with smartphones now driving a growing share of daily transactions.
Digital payments now account for 80% of all transactions in Saudi Arabia, according to Visa’s latest Where Cash Hides report, another marker of how quickly the Kingdom is moving away from cash.
The share is up four percentage points from a year ago. Around 67% of consumers are now largely non-cash users, paying mainly with cards or mobile wallets. Smartphones are taking a bigger role, with mobile payments making up 16% of transactions.
Cash is retreating in routine spending. Eating out dropped 9%. Bill payments fell 8%, as shoppers opt for faster checkouts and app-based payments.
“The data shows a steady move toward digital payments in Saudi Arabia. Such progress is possible only because banks, fintechs, merchants, and technology partners are moving together in the same direction, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030,” said Ali Bailoun, Visa’s Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman.
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Despite the recent findings, it’s important to note that cash hasn’t yet disappeared. It still shows up for tips (39%), peer-to-peer transfers (28%) and rent (14%).
Visa points to security features such as tokenization, along with rewards and cashback, as factors nudging more spending onto cards and phones — a shift that tracks with Saudi Arabia’s wider Vision 2030 push to digitize commerce.
Saudi Digital Payments Reach 80% As Cash Use Shrinks
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