Ramp product chief warns 'level zero' AI users will be sacked

The chief product officer of Ramp, a fintech startup valued at £25 billion, has warned that employees who fail to adopt advanced artificial intelligence tools face a precarious future at the firm.

Geoff Charles stated during a recent podcast that staff members are expected to be "AI-native" to remain competitive within the organisation.

He categorised proficiency into four distinct tiers, placing those who "sometimes use ChatGPT" at "level zero." Regarding these individuals, Charles was candid, stating, "The people who are still in L0, they will most likely not be at the company."

The company's strategy involves elevating every employee to higher levels of technical autonomy. Level two includes staff who can "vibe code" and build automated apps, while level three consists of sophisticated "systems builders."

Charles highlighted the urgency of this transition, noting, "If you're not using Claude code this year, no matter what your role is, you're probably underperforming."

Currently, AI generates 50 per cent of Ramp's code, a figure projected to reach 80 per cent by March.

Ramp is part of a broader industry shift where AI proficiency is becoming a primary performance metric. Google has informed non-technical staff that AI integration may influence upcoming reviews, while Atlassian recently reduced its workforce by 10 per cent to pivot towards AI-centric development.

Checkr has similarly implemented daily AI usage across 95 per cent of its workforce. Charles emphasised that a growth mindset is essential for survival in this landscape, concluding, "If you're not a self-starter and you don't have that growth mindset, it's going to be very, very hard to train."