Affirm: BNPL, Competitive Strategies, and Debunking ‘Phantom Debt’ with CFO Michael Linford

In this episode of After Earnings, Austin Hankwitz speaks with Affirm CFO Michael Linford, exploring the company's innovative financial products, focusing on the Buy Now Pay Later space, and its commitment to consumer financial health. The discussion highlights Affirm's strategic partnerships, revenue streams, and response to competitive challenges, as well as its approach to leveraging AI for customer service enhancement. Linford also shares his personal journey to Affirm, underscoring the company's passion for offering transparent, flexible financial solutions that align with consumer success. $AFRM 00:00 Welcome to After Earnings: Unveiling Affirm's Financial Innovations 01:00 Breaking Down Affirm's Mission and Business Model 01:37 Affirm's Approach to Consumer Credit and Financial Health 04:32 The Affirm Card: A New Era of Financial Flexibility 06:01 Decoding Affirm's Revenue Streams and Financial Health 11:35 Earnings Highlights: Affirm's Remarkable Quarter 18:58 The Affirm and Shopify Partnership: A Deep Dive 25:12 Addressing the Bloomberg Article on BNPL Debts 31:22 Debunking Myths Around Delinquencies and Credit Behavior 32:33 The Power of Controlled Spending with Affirm 35:44 Affirm's Approach to Credit Reporting and Future Plans 38:23 Navigating the High Interest Rate Environment 43:32 Leveraging AI for Customer Service and Business Efficiency 50:09 Competitive Landscape and Consumer-Centric Strategy 55:24 Personal Journey to Affirm and Career Reflections 59:59 Key Takeaways and Closing Thoughts After Earnings is brought to you by Stakeholder Labs and Morning Brew.  For more go to https://www.afterearnings.com Follow Us  X: https://twitter.com/AfterEarnings TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@AfterEarnings Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afterearnings_/ Reach Out  Email: [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices