'Teams must demonstrate why they cannot get what they want done using AI,' says Tobi Lütke
Teams at e-commerce platform Shopify who want to increase their headcount must first prove that the job cannot be done by artificial intelligence, according to its chief executive officer.
CEO Tobi Lütke made the announcement as he underscored to employees that AI usage is now a "baseline expectation" at Shopify.
"Before asking for more headcount and resources, teams must demonstrate why they cannot get what they want done using AI," Lütke said in the internal memo, which he uploaded on X.
"What would this area look like if autonomous AI agents were already part of the team? This question can lead to really fun discussions and projects."
Lütke's remarks reflect the changing approach to talent management in organisations following the rise of AI tools, which have led to job insecurity for many employees.
Findings from the World Economic Forum earlier this year showed 41% of employers are already planning to downsize their workforce where AI can replicate people's work.
But another 77% of employers said they plan to reskill and upskill their current workforce to better work alongside AI tools.
Lütke's memo strongly underscored the importance of learning how to use AI tools through utilisation.
"Frankly, I don't think it's feasible to opt out of learning the skill of applying AI in your craft; you are welcome to try, but I want to be honest, I cannot see this working out today, and definitely not tomorrow," he said.
"Stagnation is almost certain, and stagnation is slow-motion failure. If you're not climbing, you're sliding."
To monitor AI use and learning at work, Lütke said they will be adding AI usage questions to the company's performance and peer review questionnaire.
"Learning to use AI well is an unobvious skill. My sense is that a lot of people give up after writing a prompt and not getting the ideal thing back immediately," he said. "Learning to prompt and load context is important, and getting peers to provide feedback on how this is going will be valuable."
Lütke made the remarks as he shifts the company's direction regarding AI use.
"The call to tinker with it was the right one, but it was too much of a suggestion. This is what I want to change here today," he said.
"Our job is to figure out what entrepreneurship looks like in a world where AI is universally available. And I intend for us to do the best possible job of that, and to do that I need everyone's help."
Organisations across the world have been ramping up their strategies to boost AI use in the workplace.
A law firm in the United Kingdom previously offered a £1-million bonus pot if they hit one million Microsoft Copilot prompts.
In 2024, a joint report from Microsoft and LinkedIn found that 75% of knowledge workers from 31 countries are already using AI at work.
