NEW YORK, Sept. 10, 2025
Buy Now, Pay Later Giant Klarna Debuts on NYSE Amidst Mixed Employee Reactions to Return-to-Office Mandate
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Klarna, the popular buy now, pay later online payment provider, has officially begun trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The company’s initial public offering was priced at $40 per share, valuing Klarna at approximately $15 billion. However, its shares opened at a higher $52 on its debut day.
Milestone Day for Klarna
Klarna’s co-founder and CEO, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, described the IPO as a significant milestone. “It’s a little bit like a wedding,” Siemiatkowski told CNBC on Wednesday. “You prepare so much, and you plan for it, and it’s a big party. But in the end, marriage goes on.”
Return-to-Office News Surfaces
The trading debut comes just days after Klarna announced a return-to-office (RTO) policy for its employees. Founded in 2005, the company will require staff to work from the office three days a week starting September 29. This move places Klarna alongside other major companies like Microsoft and Target in mandating in-person workdays.
Employee Reaction Appears Dismal
News of the RTO mandate was shared internally via a Slack post. While comments were disabled, emoji reactions revealed a largely negative sentiment among Klarna’s approximately 3,000 employees. Sad faces (341), “no” emojis (167), and facepalms (90) dominated the responses. Less common, but still present, were thumbs-up (19) and rocket ship emojis (14).
Klarna Card Expansion
In other company news, Klarna launched its debit card, the “Klarna Card,” in June. Siemiatkowski noted that the company has already acquired 700,000 U.S. customers for the card, with a waiting list of five million potential users.
