A CNBC analysis of 23 S&P 500 firms shows that cutting staff in the name of AI rarely impresses Wall Street. Over 56% of companies citing automation or AI agents—including Nike, Salesforce, and Fiverr—saw their shares slide by an average of 25%. Investors are increasingly wary of "AI washing" that disguises routine cost cutting without showing clear revenue returns.
Freelance marketplace Fiverr just laid off 250 employees—about 30% of its workforce—as it transitions into an "AI-first" company. CEO Micha Kaufman framed the cuts as a "painful reset" to build a leaner operation, months after urging staff to automate their everyday tasks. It is another stark sign that enterprise efficiency drives are increasingly hitting headcount.
Fiverr CEO Micha Kaufman just announced a major reset to turn the freelance platform into a leaner, "AI-first" company, cutting roughly 250 jobs across departments. Kaufman noted that internal AI deployments have significantly streamlined workflows like customer support and fraud detection, prompting the company to flatten management and rebuild on an AI-focused infrastructure.
Fiverr just launched its Personal AI Creation Model, letting vetted voice actors, designers, and freelancers train custom AI on their past work and charge clients for access. At $25 a month, it also rolls out a personalized chat assistant to automate client communication. Instead of being replaced by AI, gig workers can now try selling their own automated clones.
Fiverr just rolled out dedicated AI service categories covering tools like Midjourney, ChatGPT, and DALL-E. The move follows a 1400% surge in AI-related searches over the past six months. Basically, businesses aren't just shopping for raw AI technology—they are hunting for freelancers who actually know how to use it.
