Sebastian Siemiatkowski was in New York when he, like many others, reacted to a post on X by Member of Parliament Jessica Stegrud (SD) on September 2.
Stegrud wrote "Tellingly, it's a Swedish-born Kurd and a Persian who are debating a Swedish cultural canon on Aktuellt" in the controversial post.
"I am Swedish"
Siemiatkowski's response from his hotel room in New York – also on X – was:
"Let me throw myself into the debate about Swedishness. As a Sundsvall-born and Uppsala-raised person but with Polish immigrant parents... I am Swedish!"
When TT raises the issue with him in connection with the listing of Klarna on the stock exchange this week, he says:
You can't beat the Swedishness out of me. I see it in myself. I see it in how I relate to things and how I appreciate the simple things in life.
For Siemiatkowski, it's about a great trust in people and authorities, about being able to appreciate long vacation days in a simple cottage in the countryside or enjoy books like "The Road to Skarv: Stories from the Archipelago" by Sten Rinaldo.
From Rinaldo's book, Siemiatkowski recounts the story of a large, "old sea dog" who swam naked out to the cliffs in the archipelago, to lie down and scream like a seal – all to tease tourists.
It's only a Swedish guy who can do that, who is so secure in himself. There's something genuinely beautiful in it, which I think is wonderful.
"An incredible asset"
He gets roughly the same feeling when adults dance "Små grodorna" around the midsummer pole.
It's ridiculous, but at the same time so liberating. I miss this in the debate about Swedishness. Somewhere there lies the core of what it means to be Swedish to me.
Siemiatkowski thinks that the payment company Klarna – his life's work – has Swedish DNA. But with over 70 percent foreign ownership and the USA, Germany, and the UK as the company's largest markets, the company was listed in New York.
Our employees are spread globally. Our banking license is indeed Swedish, but the company is registered in the UK. For the owners, it's a non-issue. They think it's obvious that we should be listed together with our major competitors on the American market.
Then I think it's a huge strength that we have so many employees in Sweden and that we have a Swedish DNA in the company culture. I think that's an incredible asset.
Klarna's CEO and co-founder Sebastian Siemiatkowski, 43, was in his 20s when he, as a student at the Stockholm School of Economics – together with Victor Jacobsson and Niklas Adalberth – created what would become the Klarna that was listed on the New York stock exchange this week with a value of over 140 billion kronor.
Here are his tips to young entrepreneurs today:
If you want to grind, then all possibilities exist. We worked 80-90 hour workweeks for the first five years. And if you're willing to do that and think it's fun because you love what you do, then it doesn't feel that tough.
It also requires luck. A lot of luck. It's a combination. But it's like (former slalom star) Ingemar Stenmark used to say: The more I train, the more luck I have. It's both.
