Max Levchin

Member of the influential PayPal mafia alongside Musk, Thiel, and David Sacks (Trump's crypto czar), though maintains friendships "deeper than politics." Stated his support for Israel, belief in skilled immigration, and called the January 6, 2021 insurrection "a disgrace." Describes Affirm as "a moral capitalist enterprise" that rejects practices that would embarrass employees, reflecting centrist business values distinct from the more politically active PayPal alumni.

In February 2025 podcast, shared approach to layoffs: admitted he "botched" his first time and learned that managers must be personally involved. Stated leaders should help laid-off employees pack their boxes because "people understand that you tried with every possible strategic or tactical idea to not have to go through this." Rejected AI-related layoffs despite increasing AI use in engineering, saying Affirm has no plans for AI-spurred cuts.

Affirm laid off 19% of its workforce in February 2023 during BNPL market downturn. Levchin stated on earnings call: "This is the right decision. We hired a larger team than we can sustainably support." In a letter, acknowledged earlier aggressive hiring "was a deliberate decision: the product opportunities were too compelling to ignore" but Federal Reserve rate increases "negatively impacted" growth. Company also exited cryptocurrency business.