In this episode of the A16Z Podcast, hosts Cmi Amble and Ivan Makarov are joined by Pravir Malwani, CFO at Figma, to discuss how automation and AI are transforming the finance function, shifting the role of the CFO from a "traffic cop" to an operational leader and business enabler.
Malwani notes that early in his career, before the current wave of AI tools, automation meant writing long SQL queries, building data tables, and manually stitching information together from various systems like Stripe and Salesforce. Today, with modern AI tools and LLMs, finance professionals have unprecedented access to real-time data, enabling them to analyze anomalies on an hourly or daily rhythm rather than waiting for monthly or quarterly cycles.
When hiring for his team, Malwani looks for candidates who possess strong intellectual curiosity, fluency with data, and the ability to ask solid questions and structure their thoughts effectively. He highlights that while AI tools can generate model outputs and documents quickly, candidates must still be rigorous thinkers who do not outsource their thinking to the machine. During the interview process, the case study portion remains sacred to test whether applicants truly understand the structure, sensitivities, and intuition behind the models they build.
Malwani shares several examples of how his team at Figma leverages automation and AI. The credit and collections team has streamlined invoice tracking, cash collections, and NetSuite reconciliations, freeing up capacity to build automated credit-check workflows. Meanwhile, the corporate development team uses AI tools during diligence—such as vibe-coding products to test the depth of a technology's moat—and runs investment memos against simulated personalities of executive leaders to refine arguments and reduce meeting cycle times. Other teams have automated T&E policy reviews by performing fuzzy matches across disparate data sources like Navan, Zip, and Ramp.
Addressing the risk of AI-generated "slop" or low-quality documents, Malwani emphasizes that anything put out for others to consume requires time and effort, meaning employees must still review, summarize, and maintain high standards. However, when used thoughtfully, AI provides a major speed and iteration advantage.
Looking ahead, Malwani believes that if business complexity were to stay flat, organizations wouldn't need the same headcount in the future due to efficiency gains. He views modern technology access and the ability to build internal agents and tools as a powerful recruiting vehicle, attracting top talent who want to learn and grow. Ultimately, Malwani stresses that a great finance leader must act as an operational business partner who understands the business deeply, drives execution, and utilizes modern tools to simplify complexity and guide the company forward.