Fiverr CEO on Resilience in the AI Era: ‘Become a prompt engineer. Google is dead. LLM and GenAI are the new basics’

Micha Kaufman is the co-founder and CEO of Fiverr, an online marketplace that connects freelancers with businesses. Under his leadership, Fiverr has become a key platform in the global gig economy, serving millions of users across 160+ countries.

In a company-wide message, Fiverr CEO Micha Kaufman delivered a wake-up call to employees and contractors, warning that the rise of generative AI threatens every job—including his own. The internal memo, which Kaufman also shared publicly on X, outlines an urgent roadmap for professional survival in the age of artificial intelligence.

“So here is the unpleasant truth: AI is coming for your jobs. Heck, it’s coming for my job too,” Kaufman wrote. He emphasized that the only path forward is for individuals to become exceptional talents, mastering tools like large language models (LLMs) and other generative AI solutions.

The message avoids corporate euphemism and leans into what Kaufman calls “radical candor.” He writes, “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’s memo goes beyond alarmism to offer a prescriptive list of actions. Chief among them: master AI tools, become a prompt engineer, and seek out internal AI mentors. “Google is dead. LLM and GenAI are the new basics,” he declared.

The letter also criticizes passive attitudes within organizations. “Stop waiting for the world or your place of work to hand you opportunities… create those opportunities yourself.” Kaufman calls on individuals to proactively pitch ideas, learn independently, and increase their output and efficiency—fast.

Calling Fiverr a “magnificent company,” Kaufman closes by inviting those ready to have a serious conversation about the future to meet with him. “It won’t be pretty or easy. It will be hard and demanding, but damn well worth it.”

Micha Kaufman is the co-founder and CEO of Fiverr, a global online marketplace launched in 2010 that connects freelancers with businesses for digital services. Under his leadership, Fiverr has grown into one of the most recognized platforms in the gig economy, going public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019. Kaufman is known for his outspoken views on the future of work and technology, often emphasizing adaptability, innovation, and personal accountability as keys to thriving in a rapidly changing labor landscape.

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