A stark “wake-up call” has been issued by Fiverr CEO Micha Kaufman to his employees, warning that artificial intelligence is poised to disrupt a wide array of professions, including his own. In a candid internal letter, Kaufman urged staff to rapidly adapt and master AI tools or risk becoming obsolete in a matter of months.
The message, described by Kaufman himself as “radical candor,” eschewed sugar-coating in favor of what he termed an “unpleasant truth.” He emphasized that this warning wasn’t just about job security at Fiverr but pertained to their broader careers within the industry. “It does not matter if you are a programmer, designer, product manager, data scientist, lawyer, customer support rep, salesperson, or a finance person – AI is coming for you,” Kaufman stated unequivocally.
The CEO’s letter paints a picture of a rapidly evolving work landscape where tasks once considered difficult will become easy, and previously “impossible tasks” will be the new hard. He cautioned that those who fail to become “exceptional talent” and masters of their craft will face the necessity of a career change.
However, Kaufman’s message was not intended to induce panic but to spur proactive adaptation. “Are we all doomed? Not all of us,” he wrote, “but those who will not wake up and understand the new reality fast, are, unfortunately, doomed.”
He outlined a clear, multi-point strategy for employees to navigate this new era:
- Master AI Solutions: Employees are urged to study, research, and master the latest AI tools relevant to their fields, identifying those that can provide “superpowers” in terms of generating more outcomes with better quality. Examples cited included Cursor for programmers, Intercom Fin and SentiSum for customer support, and Lexis+ AI or Legora for lawyers.
- Seek Internal Expertise: Kaufman encouraged staff to connect with knowledgeable colleagues already familiar with cutting-edge AI.
- Increase Efficiency Urgently: He stressed that “time is the most valuable asset” and that working “like it’s 2024” is no longer sufficient. The expectation is to do more, faster, and more efficiently.
- Become Prompt Engineers: Declaring “Google is dead,” Kaufman highlighted Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI (GenAI) as the new fundamentals. Expertise in using these tools is presented as crucial to maintaining professional value.
- Drive Organizational AI Integration: Employees are called upon to get involved in making Fiverr more efficient using AI, suggesting that hiring more people is less sensible than empowering the current workforce with AI.
- Proactive Contribution: Instead of waiting for invitations to share ideas, Kaufman wants employees to understand the company strategy and proactively pitch their contributions.
- Self-Driven Growth: The onus is on individuals to create their own learning and growth opportunities, with a promise of support from Kaufman for those who help themselves.
Kaufman acknowledged that his directness might be perceived negatively by some but reiterated that his message stemmed from a desire for his team’s success. He invited employees who understand his perspective to engage in discussions about the company’s and their individual professional futures.
The CEO’s frank warning comes at a time when many industries are grappling with the transformative potential of AI. Shopify’s CEO has sent a similar letter to his team, saying that the company would only hire new employees if it can be shown that their jobs can’t be done by AI. Duolingo’s CEO had also sent a similar missive, telling employees to brace and prepare for AI’s impact while saying that it’ll stop hiring human contactors and replace them with AI tools. While some see AI as a supportive “co-pilot,” Kaufman’s message underscores a more urgent and potentially disruptive reality, urging a fundamental shift in skills and mindset to remain relevant in an AI-driven world. He concluded with a call to action: “We just need to wake up and understand that it won’t be pretty or easy. It will be hard and demanding, but damn well worth it.”
Recent reports indicate this internal memo was shared as Fiverr itself has been launching AI-enhanced tools like Fiverr Go, aimed at helping freelancers stay competitive.
Here’s the full text of the letter
Hey team,
I’ve always believed in radical candor and despise those who sugar-coat reality to avoid stating the unpleasant truth. The very basis for radical candor is care. You care enough about your friends and colleagues to tell them the truth because you want them to be able to understand it, grow, and succeed.
So here is the unpleasant truth: Al is coming for your jobs. Heck, it’s coming for my job too. This is a wake-up call.
It does not matter if you are a programmer, designer, product manager, data scientist, lawyer, customer support rep, salesperson, or a finance person – Al is coming for you.
You must understand that what was once consideredeasy tasks' will no longer exist; what was consideredhard tasks’ will be the new easy, and what was considered ‘impossible tasks’ will be the new hard. If you do not become an exceptional talent at what you do, a master, you will face the need for a career change in a matter of months. I am not trying to scare you. I am not talking about your job at Fiverr. I am talking about your ability to stay in your profession in the industry.
Are we all doomed? Not all of us, but those who will not wake up and understand the new reality fast, are, unfortunately, doomed.
What can we do? First of all, take a moment and let this sink in. Drink a glass of water. Scream hard in front of the mirror if it helps you. Now relax. Panic hasn’t solved problems for anyone. Let’s talk about what would help you become an exceptional talent in your field:
Study, research, and master the latest Al solutions in your field. Try multiple solutions and figure out what gives you super-powers. By superpowers, I mean the ability to generate more outcomes per unit of time with better quality per delivery. Programmers: code (Cursor…). Customer support: tickets (Intercom Fin, SentiSum…), Lawyers: contracts (Lexis+ Al, Legora…), etc.
2. Find the most knowledgeable people on our team who can help you become more familiar with the latest and greatest in Al.
3. Time is the most valuable asset we have—if you’re working like it’s 2024, you’re doing it wrong! You are expected and needed to do more, faster, and more efficiently now.
4. Become a prompt engineer. Google is dead. LLM and GenAI are the new basics, and if you’re not using them as experts, your value will decrease before you know what hit you.
5. Get involved in making the organization more efficient using Al tools and technologies. It does not make sense to hire more people before we learn how to do more with what we have.
6. Understand the company strategy well and contribute to helping it achieve its goals. Don’t wait to be invited to a meeting where we ask each participant for ideas – there will be no such meeting. Instead, pitch your ideas proactively.
7. Stop waiting for the world or your place of work to hand you opportunities to learn and grow—create those opportunities yourself. I vow to help anyone who wants to help themselves.
If you don’t like what I wrote; If you think I’m full of shit, or just an asshole who’s trying to scare you – be my guest and disregard this message. I love all of you and wish you nothing but good things, but I honestly don’t think that a promising professional future awaits you if you disregard reality.
If, on the other hand, you understand deep inside that I’m right and want all of us to be on the winning side of history, join me in a conversation about where we go from here as a company and as individual professionals. We have a magnificent company and a bright future ahead of us. We just need to wake up and understand that it won’t be pretty or easy. It will be hard and demanding, but damn well worth it.
This message is food for thought. I have asked Shelly to free up time on my calendar in the next few weeks so that those of you who wish to sit with me and discuss our future can do so. I look forward to seeing you.
Yours, Micha