stream of events

Photo by Fredrik Öhlander on Unsplash

I have been working as an engineer, manager and lecturer in Riga since 2005 mostly doing software development in financial sector starting from internet banking solutions in Baltic Technology Group, enterprise data warehouse in Swedbank and ground-breaking Citadele mobile banking.

We have moved to Stockholm in 2019 and Klarna played a key role in this process providing me with the opportunity to join. I have spent more then 12 months in Stockholm so far and have collected some interesting facts to share.

  • It is impossible to learn Swedish in Sweden. Really, we were worried about this during the move, but all Swedes switch to English immediately after your first phrase.
  • I have no idea about how Swedish krona looks like. Digital payments with cards or apps are so widely accepted that you no longer need to carry a cash.
  • Klarna is divided across nearly 300 teams but I think nobody knows the exact number. Since I joined I have seen many new teams born around or reorganized frequently and it very normal and natural in Klarna.
  • There are 90 nationalities in Klarna so it might be even challenging to find a swede around. For example, there is only one swede out of ten persons in my team.
  • It is extremely hard not to buy buckwheat (or griki) in Sweden. So, if you plan to come and visit Stockholm please take one or two for me.

// Cheers