TLDR;
- Fiverr CEO warns staff via email: AI could replace all jobs—his included.
- Encourages full automation of repetitive tasks to unlock human creativity.
- Anthropic CEO echoes concern, predicting mass disappearance of entry-level jobs.
- Both leaders call for urgent adaptation, not denial.
Fiverr CEO Micha Kaufman has warned that artificial intelligence poses a real threat to every job, including his own, In a follow-up interview with CBS Newson Friday after expressing his thoughts through a candid staff email earlier, Kaufman explained the thinking behind his viral message.
“It wasn’t fear-mongering,” he said. “It was about honesty. Our team already feels the ground shifting under them, and I wanted to validate that. They’re not kids, we owe them transparency.”
Fiverr, a platform built to connect freelancers with businesses, stands at the intersection of digital work and technological change. And for Kaufman, the arrival of AI isn’t theoretical. It’s happening now.
From Fear to Superpower
Rather than painting a doomsday scenario, Kaufman believes AI should be seen as a powerful tool, one that can dramatically boost productivity and unlock new creative possibilities.
“AI gives us superpowers,” he said. “But that means expectations go up. We can do more in less time, and the quality has to rise too.”
He told employees to aim for full automation of all repetitive and technical tasks.
“When you free up your time from routine work,” he said, “you get to focus on the things AI can’t do—like judgment, creativity, strategy, and making tough calls. That’s where human value shines.”
Entry-Level Jobs at Risk
Kaufman isn’t alone in sounding the alarm. Dario Amodei, CEO of AI powerhouse Anthropic, also went public this week predicting that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs.
In an interview with Axios, Amodei warned that sectors like law, tech, finance, and consulting could see major shakeups.
“Most people don’t think it’s real yet,” he said. “But when it hits, it’s going to hit hard.”
Notably, his main concern was that Governments and businesses are sugarcoating the impact. The truth, he says, is that AI will change the labor market far faster than most people expect.
“This isn’t on most people’s radar,” he added, “and that’s a problem.”
Gen Z, Women, and the Future of Work
Recent studies back up these concerns. A UN report suggests that women, especially in admin and clerical roles, could be three times more likely to lose their jobs to AI.
Gen Z faces a different challenge. On one hand, they’re growing up with AI tools. On the other, some employers worry they’re becoming too reliant on them, skipping the development of critical thinking skills in the process.
Amodei even imagined a scenario where AI helps cure cancer and turbocharges the economy, but still leaves 20% of people unemployed. According to him, that’s the paradox we may face: progress without inclusion.
