Get ahead in AI world or get doomed
Fiverr CEO warns... so what can CFOs do? 3 things you can do to become wildly successful.
CFOs are at a crossroads.
AI is advancing insanely and you must decide how to upskill, experiement and get ahead to become relevant.
History tells us what happens to those who hesitate.
Just over a century ago, the leap from horses to automobiles changed everything. In 1890, the U.S. had about 13,800 companies making horse-drawn carriages. By 1920, only 90 were left.
Entire industries and jobs vanished almost overnight.
Fast forward to today: a similar inflection point is upon us with AI.
Once, finance was seen purely as a back-office function.
Now, CFOs are expected to be co-pilots of corporate strategy, creators of value, and masters of innovation.
But AI is a tough test for this modern CFO.
Adjust To The New Reality
The message from Fiverr’s CEO is clear.
AI is coming for every job-including the CEO and CFO.
And the only ones doomed are those who refuse to adapt.
It’s an urgent call for CFOs to fundamentally rethink their role, their teams, and their approach to value creation.
If you’re still running finance like it’s 2020, you’re already behind. The days of manual, repetitive work are numbered. Easy tasks are vanishing, hard tasks are becoming routine, and what was once impossible will soon be table stakes.
The only way to stay relevant is to become exceptional-fast.
How CFOs Must Respond
1. Master AI in Every Day (Block 20 minutes)
Stop delegating the learning curve. The unpleasant truth is that AI is coming for every finance role, including yours. If you’re not experimenting with the latest AI tools daily-writing memos with ChatGPT, summarizing complex docs with Claude, researching with Perplexity-you’re already behind.
Block 20 minutes each day to play with these tools and benchmark what gives your team superpowers: faster closes, sharper forecasts, and automated compliance. Don’t wait until you’re forced to adapt-get ahead now.
source: a16z
The expectation is more output, higher accuracy, and real-time insights. If you’re working like it’s 2020, you’re doing it wrong.
2. Build AI-First Team (Block an hour each week for AI)
Surround yourself with AI-fluent talent and make upskilling a non-negotiable priority. 50% of jobs will need reskilling in the next few years-tech literacy, AI, big data, analytical and creative thinking, and resilience are now essential.
Block an hour each week to catch up on what’s changing: follow top AI newsletters, read Substacks, and watch demos. Upskill your team not just in tools but in strategic thinking and storytelling with AI outputs.
Don’t throw more people at problems-use AI to optimize workflows and only scale headcount once you’ve maximized what AI can deliver.
3. Create Opportunities (Play with AI)
Know your company’s goals cold and make yourself indispensable by pitching AI-driven solutions that directly align with business strategy.
Don’t wait for an invitation-drive the conversation, bring ideas to the table, and help leadership achieve its goals. Stop waiting for direction or permission: the future belongs to proactive leaders who create value before being asked.
The CFO of the future is a business partner, not a back-office operator. If you’re not learning independently and seeking growth, your value will erode fast.
#1 CFOs can turn AI into their 24/7 partner
It's 11 PM. A CFO is stuck in spreadsheets trying to fix budget variances.
The winners are those who experiment, stay informed, and shape their own path.
Free Resources to Learn AI
OpenAI Academy
Artificial Intelligence Courses by Harvard
AI For Everyone by Andrew Ng
How to hit profitability and run scenarios with 3 AI Prompts
Once, FP&A was the quiet engine room of the business. Crunching numbers. Reconciling budgets. Running static plans that were outdated the moment they shipped.
AI-native products are scaling faster and engaging users more deeply than ever.
I know it sounds cliché, but AI won’t replace the CFO.
But the CFO who uses AI will replace the one who doesn’t.
The Bottom Line
The finance function stands at a historic inflection point.
The teams that built your financial infrastructure… CFOs, the analysts, the accountants, and the controllers are about to face the same fate as those 13,800 carriage manufacturers that vanished when automobiles arrived.
Those who move aggressively will create leverage.
Those who hesitate will find themselves explaining to boards why their finance costs remain stubbornly high while outputs remain frustratingly slow.
When Fiverr's CEO warned employees that "AI is coming for your jobs," he wasn't being alarmist. He was being honest.
You must survive the extinction event.
You must thrive in the new AI world.
Become a builder, operator, and value creator.
And that’s all for today.
See you on Thursday!
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I’m Wouter Born. A CFOTech investor, advisor, and founder of finstory.ai
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