Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke has taken a bold and controversial step that underscores a deeper shift sweeping across the tech industry: AI is no longer just a tool — it's now a requirement. In a memo that’s making waves both inside and outside Shopify, Lütke laid out a clear new directive for his workforce: AI must be used by default, and any request for more human resources must first prove that AI can’t do the job.
This approach redefines workplace expectations, pushing beyond the usual narrative of "AI as an assistant." At Shopify, it’s now: If AI can do it, it should. Lütke stated plainly:
“Reflexive AI usage is now a baseline expectation at Shopify.”
He’s essentially saying: before hiring, before scaling up, before allocating more resources — teams must ask, can AI solve this first? If the answer is yes, the human expansion stops there.
This isn't just policy — it’s culture. Lütke wants AI usage integrated so deeply that it becomes second nature. He’s even tying AI adoption to employee performance reviews and peer evaluations, treating it as a core professional skill. He acknowledges that mastering AI isn’t intuitive — it takes practice, feedback, and intention:
“Using AI well is a skill that needs to be carefully learned by using it a lot.”
Shopify has already laid the groundwork with tools like Sidekick for merchants and internal resources like chat.shopify.io, and developers are being equipped with powerful platforms such as Copilot, Claude, and Cursor. But this latest shift raises the stakes, making it clear that AI isn’t optional — it’s foundational.
Lütke says the goal isn’t just productivity gains (though he claims some teams have achieved 100x output using AI), but to align with Shopify’s values: “Be a Constant Learner” and “Thrive on Change.” In his words:
“AI will totally change Shopify, our work, and the rest of our lives. We're all in on this!”
This AI-first directive has reignited the broader debate about AI replacing jobs, especially in areas like coding. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says AI is already handling more than 50% of coding in some organizations. Google admits 25% of its code is now written by AI. And Replit CEO Amjad Massad has gone even further, suggesting that learning to code might soon be obsolete.
Shopify’s move is being seen by some as a preview of things to come — a kind of prototype for what AI-led corporate transformation might look like. The optimism around productivity is real, but so are the fears: if AI becomes the standard for prototyping, researching, coding, designing, and more, what happens to the humans who used to do all that?
In short, Shopify has become a front-line example of the AI acceleration dilemma: boost efficiency and innovation, yes — but at what cost to traditional roles and long-term employment?
