The future just got real. Shopify’s CEO just made AI mandatory for everyone, and it’s sending shockwaves through the business world. Here’s what it means for you and your team—whether you’re ready or not.
Imagine showing up to work and getting this email from your CEO: Before hiring anyone new, you must first ask “what would this look like if autonomous AI agents were already on the team?”
That’s exactly what happened at Shopify last week when CEO Tobi Lütke dropped a memo heard ’round the tech world. His message was crystal clear: AI is no longer optional at Shopify. It’s the default.
Links & Resources:
Hire AI, not Humans – https://www.forbes.com/sites/josipamajic/2025/04/08/hire-ai-not-humans-shopify-ceos-radical-mandate-catching-vc-attention/
Watch the full episode:
The Memo That Changes Everything
Lütke didn’t mince words. AI isn’t just another tool—it’s now “our standard.” In his words, learning to use AI effectively is “a foundational expectation” for everyone at Shopify. Yes, everyone—including executives.
But this isn’t just some “Hey, try using ChatGPT” suggestion. This is a strategic mandate that fundamentally reshapes how one of the world’s largest e-commerce platforms operates:
- AI must be your first reflex – Turn to AI by default before starting any task
- AI proficiency is part of performance reviews – Your AI usage will be measured and evaluated
- No new hires until you’ve prototyped with AI – Prove digital labor can’t handle it first
As Lütke bluntly puts it: “I don’t think it’s feasible to opt out of learning the skill of applying AI in your craft.”
In other words: adapt or get left behind.
What This Means For Every Team
Let’s be real—this changes everything. Suddenly every team at Shopify is scrambling to figure out what good AI usage actually looks like in their department.
For HR leaders, you’re now tasked with:
- Defining what “good AI use” looks like across wildly different roles
- Figuring out how to measure and evaluate AI proficiency
- Creating entirely new performance metrics on the fly
For managers and team leads:
- You’ve got a new “employee” to supervise and integrate into workflows
- Your hiring process just got more complex (prove AI can’t do it first!)
- You need to balance team productivity with AI experimentation time
And for individual contributors:
- Your job description just expanded to include “AI expert in your domain”
- You’re expected to tinker, learn, and share AI best practices
- Your performance evaluations now include AI proficiency
It’s a massive shift that requires everyone to run faster just to stay in place. As Lütke colorfully describes it: “stagnation is slow motion failure.”
The Hidden Challenges Beneath the Surface
What makes this particularly interesting (and potentially chaotic) is the timing. Shopify has been through multiple rounds of layoffs recently—20% reduction in 2023 and more cuts in customer service this year.
That means teams are already:
- Doing more with less
- Feeling stretched thin
- Dealing with restructuring fatigue
Now add “become AI experts overnight” to that list.
The memo encourages both self-directed learning and peer instruction, but here’s the million-dollar question: When exactly are people supposed to do this? As anyone who’s tried to master a new skill knows, this kind of learning takes significant time and mental bandwidth.
If AI is now part of your job description and performance evaluations, then:
- When do you find time to experiment?
- Who provides the training?
- How does this impact your existing workload?
As the podcasters pointed out, building expertise in a new area “on the side” is tremendously stressful. It adds hours to your workday and forces you to maximize every gap in your schedule.
Why This Matters Beyond Shopify
Shopify isn’t just adopting AI—they’re institutionalizing it. This isn’t a pilot program or an initiative. It’s a fundamental rewiring of their entire organization around digital labor.
The public nature of this memo creates enormous pressure on competitors to follow suit. If you work in e-commerce, retail tech, or any adjacent industry, your company is almost certainly looking at this mandate and wondering if they need to do the same.
Even if you’re in a completely different industry, this represents a sea change in how businesses approach AI integration. It’s not just “let’s use AI for these specific tasks”—it’s “AI is now the default way we approach everything.”
What You Should Do Now
Whether your company follows Shopify’s lead or not, the writing is on the wall. AI proficiency is quickly becoming table stakes across industries. Here’s how to prepare:
- Start small but start now – Pick a low-risk area where AI could help your workflow
- Block dedicated learning time – Even 30 minutes a day for experimentation adds up
- Document your experiments – Keep track of what works, what doesn’t, and lessons learned
- Build a peer learning group – Share discoveries with colleagues to accelerate everyone’s progress
- Frame this as labor enhancement, not replacement – Focus on how AI helps you work better, not just faster
Most importantly, if you’re in a leadership position, remember that learning AI is real work. It requires time, resources, and support—not just a mandate. If you’re making AI proficiency part of performance evaluations, then you need to provide the scaffolding for people to succeed.
The Bottom Line
Shopify has thrown down the gauntlet. AI is no longer a “nice to have” or a competitive advantage—it’s becoming table stakes. The question isn’t whether your organization will follow suit, but when and how.
Will it be a thoughtful integration that accounts for the very real human challenges of learning new skills under pressure? Or will it be a chaotic scramble that leaves people feeling overwhelmed and underequipped?
The future of work isn’t coming—it’s here. And it’s watching to see how we respond.
Is your organization grappling with how to implement AI effectively? We’re building digital labor readiness toolkits to help teams navigate this transition. Drop us a line and let us know: If you could hire an AI as your first digital colleague, what role would they fill?