The Growth Pod #67: Klarna’s growth story with Head of Nordics Björn Bryngelson
Sep 12, 2025
Björn Bryngelson, Head of Nordics at Klarna, shares insights from the company's remarkable growth journey. He discusses innovative recruitment strategies that prioritize adaptability and curiosity in startups. The conversation highlights Klarna’s transformative use of AI to enhance consumer experience and internal workflows. Additionally, Björn debunks common misconceptions about Klarna’s model, revealing its positive impacts on consumer behavior. He also outlines the advantages of the Nordic startup ecosystem, particularly the collaborative spirit boosting innovation.
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Early Klarna Recruitment Story
- Björn joined Klarna in 2015 when the company had ~600–700 people and was expanding beyond the Nordics.
- He was recruited by a friend and drawn by the ambition to take Klarna global and smooth commerce worldwide.
Simplicity Drives Consumer Behavior
- Consumer behaviour always seeks the simplest path to complete tasks, so product design must minimize friction.
- Small conveniences (tap vs insert card) cascade into new expectations across channels and devices.
Use An App To Drive Acquisition
- Build a consumer-facing product that creates habitual engagement to acquire users in new markets.
- Add features that bring users back (visual receipts, repeat buy links, parcel tracking) to turn app attention into customer acquisition.