Klarna Founder: From $0 to $46 Billion: Sebastian Siemiatkowski | E98

He had a discussion with me. We were sleeping in the street. Dead scared, like- Be careful with who you're listening to. Have they really contributed to success? Have they really built success? Or have they simply been in a company that was successful? Afterwards, I've heard from journalists that like, a ton of emails were coming from banks, 'cause they simply, you know, they were threatened by our existence. And so the, kind of, articles and- and the writing about us shifted from, "They're here to screw customers over, to do bad things." And that was tough. I went home, I had dinner with my wife, and we talked about it, and then I was like, "No, this time around, I should probably help him," uh, I decided, and I tried to call him, and he didn't answer, and I emailed, he didn't answer. And morning, my mother called and said he was dead.

(Instrumental music) Sebastian Siemiatkowski. He's the CEO and founder of Europe's most highly valued fintech privately held company. His company is worth $45 billion. Sebastian isn't a guy that comes from a stable household or a silver spoon. It's very much the opposite. The stories you're gonna hear about his home life, his family, his father might just bring you to tears, because that's the effect they had on me. He came from incredibly, incredibly humble beginnings, and he's built a company in an industry where he was not qualified, where he didn't have technical expertise, where he couldn't code, that has completely revolutionized an industry. He is humble, he is honest, and he's willing to tell you the truth, and that's why it's such a pleasure to sit here with him today and uncover what it takes, and who it took, to build such a revolutionary, pioneering business. So without further ado, I'm Steven Bartlett, and this is The Diary of a CEO. I hope nobody's listening, but if you are, then please keep this to yourself. (Instrumental music) Sebastian, um, one of the things that I've come to learn from speaking to a wide array of guests on this podcast, from sports athletes to, you know, really successful CEOs, is- is how often our- our childhood and our early years shape our adult foundations.

Mm-hmm.

And whenever I meet someone like you that's achieved, um, uh, really remarkable things, in any, you know, in whatever discipline they're in, my first question always becomes, um, what was it that made them remarkably unique in their early years? What- what was the experience, the cauldron that shaped them into who they are today?

Right (laughs) . It's kind of funny you ask that, 'cause like, I don't necessarily feel that I was remarkably unique in my early days (laughs) .

(laughs)

I, um... A friend of mine, uh, their son, uh, turned out to be blind. Um, but he has perfect, uh, perfect pitch, and he's now eight years old, and he's sitting and playing the piano and singing. And, um, that is, to me, remarkable. (laughs)