Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke has introduced an aggressive AI strategy, requiring employees to demonstrate that AI cannot perform tasks before hiring new staff. In an internal memo titled “AI usage is now a baseline expectation,” Lütke emphasized that AI proficiency is a fundamental expectation for all Shopify employees. He stated, “Before asking for more Headcount and resources, teams must demonstrate why they cannot get what they want done using AI.” Lütke also announced that AI usage questions will be incorporated into Shopify’s performance and peer review questionnaire, ensuring employees have access to cutting-edge AI tools. This strategy aligns with Shopify’s recent efforts to enhance customer service through generative AI and its ongoing reorganization to optimize the ratio of managers to individual contributors. The company has also made several AI-focused acquisitions, including Vantage Discovery, which provides AI-powered search functions for retailers. Lütke concluded, “What we need to succeed is our collective sum total skill and ambition at applying our craft, multiplied by AI, for the benefit of our merchants. If you’re not climbing, you’re sliding.”