In a rather bold move, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke has mandated that teams must first prove that AI cannot handle a task before requesting additional headcount or resources, CNBC reports.
Lütke’s memo, which he shared on X and was reportedly sent late last month, poses a thought-provoking question: ‘What would this area look like if autonomous AI agents were already part of the team?’
He emphasized that ‘reflexive AI usage’ is now a ‘baseline expectation’ at Shopify, calling AI ‘the most rapid shift to how work is done’ in his career. Lütke also stressed that effective AI use is a learned skill and a ‘fundamental expectation’ for all employees, with AI proficiency even being integrated into performance reviews.
Lütke concluded by stating the company’s formula for success: ‘our collective sum total skill and ambition at applying our craft, multiplied by AI, for the benefit of our merchants’.
