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CEO says: Freshworks now uses AI for much of its early-career work
In short
- Freshworks has about 3,800 staff, down roughly 30% from a 2022 peak of 5,400.
- Its CEO says junior staff now do more problem-solving, less repetitive work.
- Entry-level candidates should show problem-solving, not just task completion.
Who: Dennis Woodside, CEO of Freshworks, the customer-service software company founded in Chennai, in an interview with Fortune on 3 November 2026, the day the company reported its third-quarter results.
What they said: "a lot of work that used to be done by kind of early-tenure employees, we are doing with AI."
Context: Fortune reports that Freshworks now has roughly 3,800 full-time employees, down from a peak of about 5,400 in 2022, a reduction of about 30% that includes an 11% cut announced in May. Woodside said early-career talent still "remains essential to our business", but that those workers are now expected to spend their time on problem-solving and product work rather than repetitive tasks.
What it means for you:
- Entry-level roles are not disappearing, but the routine part of them is shrinking. Show employers you can solve problems, not only follow a process.
- In interviews, bring one example where you used an AI tool and then checked, improved or decided on its output.
- On your resume, describe outcomes ("reduced ticket backlog by...") rather than duties ("handled tickets").
Source: Fortune, 3 November 2026