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Judge orders CFPB to reinstate fired employees, preserve records and get back to work

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FILE PHOTO: Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Acting Director Russell Vought testifies before House Budget Committee on 2020 Budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 12, 2019. 

Yuri Gripas | Reuters

A federal judge on Friday ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s leadership, appointed by President Donald Trump, to halt its campaign to hobble the agency.

In a filing, Judge Amy Berman Jackson sided with the CFPB employee union which sued acting CFPB director Russell Vought last month to prevent him from laying off nearly all of the regulator’s staff. Operatives from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have also been involved in efforts to dismantle the bureau.

Berman ordered Vought to reinstate “all probationary and term employees terminated” after Vought took over at the CFPB, and said that he shouldn’t “delete, destroy, remove, or impair agency data.”

“This order shall bind the defendants, their officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys, and any other persons who are in active concert or participation with them, such as personnel from the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”),” Berman wrote.

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Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski faces biggest test yet: IPO

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Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO of Klarna, speaking at a fintech event in London on Monday, April 4, 2022.

Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg via Getty Images

LONDON — After 20 years in the role as Klarna’s CEO, Sebastian Siemiatkowski is about to face his toughest test yet as the financial technology firm prepares for its blockbuster debut in New York.

Siemiatkowski, 43, co-founded Klarna in 2005 with fellow Swedish entrepreneurs Niklas Adalberth and Victor Jacobsson with the aim of taking on traditional banks and credit card firms with a more user-friendly online payments experience.

Today, Klarna is synonymous with “buy now, pay later” — a method of payment that allows people to buy things and either defer payment until the end of the month or pay off their purchases over a series of equal, interest-free monthly installments.

But while Siemiatkowski has grown Klarna into a fintech powerhouse, his entrepreneurial journey hasn’t been without its challenges — from facing rising competition from rivals such as PayPal, Affirm and Block‘s Afterpay, to an 85% valuation plunge.

Nevertheless, Siemiatkowski hasn’t taken those challenges lying down and the outspoken co-founder isn’t shy to challenge criticisms in the run up to an IPO that could value it at $15 billion.

‘Crazy enough’

In October 2024, CNBC met with Siamiatkowski during a visit the Swedish entrepreneur made to London. For a businessman who’s faced a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs over his two-year CEO tenure, Klarna’s chief has a calm air to him.

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“Independently of all the cycles and everything we’ve gone through with the company, at any point in time I ask myself, do I still think that Klarna can become the next Google in size, that we can become a hundreds of billions dollar market company, or a trillion dollars,” Siemiatkowski told CNBC. “I still am crazy enough to think that’s achievable.”

Once a pandemic-era darling valued at $46 billion in a SoftBank-led funding round, Klarna saw its valuation plummet 85% in 2022 to $6.7 billion as rising inflation and interest rates dented investor sentiment on high-growth technology firms.

But the firm has attempted to rebuild that eroded value in the years that have followed.

Klarna makes money predominantly from fees it charges merchants for providing its payment services, in addition to income from interest-bearing financing plans and advertising revenue.

Financials disclosed in its IPO filing show that Klarna reported revenue of $2.8 billion last year, up 24% year-over-year, and a net profit of $21 million — up from a net loss of $244 million in 2023.

Bullish on AI

After the launch of OpenAI’s generative AI ChatGPT in November 2022, Siemiatkowski quickly pivoted Klarna’s focus to embracing the technology, and especially in a way that could slash costs and enhance the firm’s profitability.

However, Siemiatkowski’s strategy and his comments on AI have also attracted controversy.

Klarna imposed a freeze on hiring in 2023 as it looked to tighten costs. The following year, the company said that its AI chatbot was doing the work of 700 full-time customer service jobs.

Klarna’s CEO then said in August that his company was able to reduce its overall workforce to 3,800 from 5,000 thanks in part to its application of AI in areas such as marketing and customer service.

“By simply not hiring … the company is kind of becoming smaller and smaller,” he told Reuters news agency, adding that jobs were disappearing due to attrition rather than layoffs.

Asked by CNBC about his views on AI and the upset they have caused, Siemiatkowski suggested he was “done apologizing,” echoing comments from Mark Zuckerberg about the Meta CEO’s “20-year mistake” of taking responsibility for issues for which he believed his company wasn’t to blame.

Doubling down, Siemiatkowski added that AI “already today can do a lot of the jobs that people do — but I don’t want to be one of the tech leaders that stands on a stage and says, ‘Don’t worry about it, there’s going to be new jobs,’ because I don’t know what those new jobs are.”

“I just want to be transparent and honest with what I think is happening, and I’d rather be open about that, because I know what these people, the tech leaders are saying when they’re not on public stages, and they’re not saying the exact same things,” he told CNBC in October.

An outspoken CEO

Siemiatkowski is no stranger to defending his company in response to criticisms, especially when challenged over Klarna’s business model of offering short-term financing for all kinds of things from clothing to online takeout.

Last week, Klarna announced a tie-up with DoorDash to offer its flexible payment options on the U.S. food delivery app. However, the move was met with backlash from internet users, who said it risks saddling struggling consumers with more debt.

One X user posted a meme showing personal finance pundit Dave Ramsey with the caption, “what do you mean you have $11k in ‘doordash debt’.”

Siemiatkowski took to X to defend the move, saying that Klarna “offers many payment methods” including the ability to pay in full instantly or defer payment until the end of the month in addition to monthly installments.

“DoorDash offers many products beyond food!” Klarna’s boss said on X in response to the criticisms. “I know we are most famous for pay in 4. But you can use a credit card at DoorDash as well.”

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In 2022, the outspoken entrepreneur stressed his company was “superior” to credit cards and “extremely recession-proof” after the firm laid off 10% of its workforce.

As Klarna approaches its stock market debut, investors will likely be scrutinizing his track record and whether he’s still the right person to lead the company longer term.

Lena Hackelöer, CEO of Stockholm-based fintech startup Brite Payments, is someone who’s worked under Siemiatkowski’s leadership, having worked for the company for seven years between 2010 and 2017 in various marketing functions.

She expressed admiration for the Klarna co-founder — and pushed back on suggestions that leadership mismanaged the business during the pandemic era.

“I never thought that they had mismanaged, which is somehow how it was reported,” Hackelöer told CNBC in a November interview. “I think that they were just very much focusing on growth — because that was the direction that investors were giving.”

Rollercoaster ride

Siemiatkowski admits the journey of building Klarna hasn’t always been rosy.

Asked about the biggest challenge he’s ever faced as CEO, Siemiatkowski said that, for him, laying off 10% of Klarna’s workforce in 2022 was the toughest thing he’s ever had to do.

“That was very difficult because I didn’t predict that investor sentiment would shift that fast and people would go from valuing companies like ours so high and then to something so low,” he said.

“That’s obviously very difficult because, then you realize like, ‘OK, s—, I’m going to have to make a change. It’s not going to be sustainable to continue, and I need to protect the consumers, who are stakeholders in the company, the employees, the investors — I need to [do] what’s right for all of my constituents,” Siemiatkowski continued.

Klarna is synonymous with the “buy now, pay later” trend of making a purchase and deferring payment until the end of the month or paying over interest-free monthly installments.

Nikolas Kokovlis | Nurphoto | Getty Images

I think anyone who is a little bit sane, that’s not something you take light hearted, right? It’s a tough decision. It makes you cry. I’ve cried.

Sebastian Siemiatkowski

CEO, Klarna

The company also onboarded hundreds of new employees to capitalize and expand on the opportunity it saw from government lockdowns’ impact on consumer behavior and the broader acceleration of e-commerce adoption at that time.

“I think anyone who is a little bit sane, that’s not something you take lighthearted, right?” Klarna’s CEO said, referring to the layoffs. “It’s a tough decision. It makes you cry. I’ve cried.”

However, Siemiatkowski stood by his decision to lay off workers: “I felt like I had an obligation to my constituents, everyone, all of these stakeholders, the company, and I think it was a necessary decision at that point in time.”

The road to IPO

Now, Klarna’s CEO faces his biggest test yet — taking the business he co-founded two decades ago public.

“IPOs are risky for companies as share prices can fluctuate quickly,” Nalin Patel, director of EMEA private capital research at PitchBook, told CNBC via email. “They can be costly and lengthy to arrange with investment banks too.”

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Klarna earlier this month filed its prospectus to list on the New York Stock Exchange. The company hasn’t yet set a date for when it will go public, nor has it priced shares.

If it succeeds, the outcome could catapult the net worth of Siemiatkowski and other shareholders including Sequoia Capital, Silver Lake, Mubadala Investment Company, and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

Sequoia is Klarna’s single-largest shareholder with a 22% stake. Siemiatkowski is the second-largest, owning 7% of the business.

A positive IPO outcome would also lift the value of Klarna employees’ stakes, and potentially boost morale after a turbulent few years for the company.

“It’s a balance between finding a fair value for existing investors looking to cash out and new investors seeking a stake in Klarna at a fair price. Overvaluing the company could lead to its valuation falling in the future. While undervaluing it may mean money has been left on the table for those exiting,” Patel said.

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Planning for retirement? What to know about traditional, Roth IRAs

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Socking away money for retirement is something that’s top of mind for many people.

Many Americans save money for their “Golden Years” through workplace retirement plans and individual accounts they set up, with traditional and Roth IRAs being frequently-used vehicles in the latter category. 

savers benefit from higher rates

Experts recommend you utilize a Roth or Traditional IRA in order to save and grow your retirement package.  (iStock / iStock)

Roth IRAs

Holders of Roth IRAs are able to make after-tax contributions to their accounts. 

“Why a lot of people like a Roth IRA today is that you pay income taxes today before you put the money into the Roth IRA,” Ted Jenkin, a personal finance expert and partner at Exit Wealth, told FOX Business. “The money grows tax-deferred while it’s inside of the Roth IRA, but the great news about a Roth IRA is you never, ever pay any tax when you take it out, so it’s basically taxed once today and then you’re never ever taxed again.” 

For 2025, the contribution limit for Roth IRAs is $7,000 for ages below 50 and $8,000 for those older than that, according to the IRS. 

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When a person takes out contributions from a Roth IRA, they will not have taxes or a penalty. A holder could face both if they do that for Roth IRA earnings before five years have elapsed since they’ve opened the account or they’re below the age of 59 ½, according to Fidelity.

businessman with hand over piggy bank

Businessman in suit is holding piggy bank. Finance Savings concept (iStock / iStock)

Traditional IRAs

Funds put into traditional IRAs are typically “not taxed until you take a distribution,” according to the IRS.

“Just like a Roth IRA, the dollars grow tax-deferred. However, on all that growth in the traditional IRA, ultimately you’re going to be taxed when you take it out down the road,” Jenkin said.

He noted that “can be challenging because you don’t always know what your tax brackets are going to be down the road.” 

People under 50 years old can make up to $7,000 in contributions to traditional IRAs in 2025. For those above 50, it is slightly higher, at $8,000.

In contrast to Roth IRAs, contributions to traditional IRAs can be tax-deductible but, according to Jenkin, that “depends on a number of factors.”

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He said the “big question” for deductibility was “Are you covered by a workplace retirement plan?”

“If you don’t, or your spouse does not, then you can fully deduct the traditional IRA,” he told FOX Business. “But if you have one at work, then there’s a phase out income-wise on how much income you have as to whether or not it’s deductible.”

When it comes to withdrawals for traditional IRAs, you can do so at any time but that distribution “will be includible in your taxable income and it may be subject to a 10% additional tax if you’re under age 59 ½,” according to the IRS.

For traditional IRAs, holders face a required minimum distribution they must pull out each year once they turn 73.  

Things to think about

The differences between traditional and Roth IRAs give people planning for retirement plenty to think about as they mull which account they want to use. 

Jenkin said one factor was “Do I want to be taxed now, or do I want to be taxed later?”

“When you’re younger, you’re generally in a lower tax bracket, which is why, for younger people, it’s a really great idea in my view to be putting money into a Roth IRA, because once it goes in there, you’re never taxed again.” 

He also noted the Secure 2.0 Act that became law in late 2022. 

“When you have a traditional IRA and you die and it goes to your kids or any other non-spouse inheritor, you have to take the money out of a traditional IRA within 10 years,” he said. “In a Roth IRA, when you die and your kids inherit the Roth IRA, they can take it out as long as they want. They’re not subject to that 10 years.” 

When weighing opening a traditional or Roth IRA, Jenkin also said people should consider whether they can “leave the money in there for an extended period of time.” He said they should factor in their current tax brackets and their “overall future estate plan” for their family as well. 

Documents about Individual retirement account IRA on a desk. (iStock / iStock)

He told FOX Business his “lean on this would be that more and more people should be looking at opening up a Roth IRA versus a traditional IRA.” 

How many people have IRAs? 

The Investment Company Institute said in a study released Thursday that nearly 44% of American households had IRAs in mid-2024, whether that be traditional, Roth, employer-sponsored or a combination. 

Traditional IRAs were owned by 32.6% of households, it found. Over 26% of households had Roth IRAs. 

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A separate report released by Fidelity Investments in February reported IRA accounts held average balances of $127,543 in the fourth quarter of 2024. That was an increase of 8% from the same three-month period in the prior year, according to the report. 

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