Shopify CEO urges employees to leverage AI for productivity gains before hiring

Shopify’s Tobi Lutke is shaking things up. Big time.

He’s putting AI at the very front of his company’s strategy. Forget just using it. It’s the starting point.

Lutke recently shared a memo with his team on X. The message? Use AI. A lot.

Before asking for more staff or resources, teams need to prove why AI can’t handle the job. No excuses.

Why This Matters

Lutke’s not messing around. He believes AI is now a core skill for everyone at Shopify.

His post on X? It’s been viewed millions of times. People are paying attention.

Shopify, a giant in the e-commerce world, helps small businesses sell online. Think building online stores and selling on TikTok. They host millions of active stores and brought in almost $9 billion last year.

100x the Work?

Lutke says he’s seen employees boost their output dramatically using AI. Like, “100X the work” kind of dramatic.

He’s urging his team to play with internal AI tools. Microsoft Copilot. Claude code helper. Get familiar. Get creative.

AI Agents: The Future of Work?

Lutke wants his team to think bigger. What if AI agents could handle complex tasks on their own? Browsing the web, for example, without needing a human hand.

He believes these ideas could spark some “really fun discussions and projects. ”

Performance Reviews Are Changing

This isn’t just a suggestion. It’s a mandate. Shopify is adding questions about AI use to employee reviews. Peer reviews, too.

Lutke is clear: AI will change everything. Shopify, work, life itself.

The goal? Figure out what entrepreneurship looks like when AI is everywhere.

Merchants Are Already On Board

Shopify reported that half of its merchants planned to use AI tools. Tools like Shopify Magic, which edits images and writes copy.

A Leaner Shopify?

Shopify has reduced its workforce in recent years. From over 11,000 employees to around 8,000.

While AI isn’t explicitly blamed, the timing is interesting. The company laid off a chunk of its staff in 2022 and another in 2023.

Bottom line? Shopify is betting big on AI. And they expect their employees to do the same.