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Internal memo sets a clear tone: at growth-obsessed Shopify, employees who don’t use AI will be left behind. Chris Wattie/Reuters Shopify Inc. SHOP-T is going all-in on artificial intelligence, an internal memo from the company’s top executive shows, requiring employees to embed the technology into everything from daily tasks to performance reviews.
In a letter to staff, later shared on X, Shopify founder and chief executive office Tobi Lütke said AI was a key tool for improving efficiency, and that using it would be a “fundamental expectation” for all employees, including executives. Shopify provides e-commerce services for small businesses and retailers. Employees will be expected to use artificial intelligence in their everyday work, and must demonstrate why AI can’t be used when requesting additional head count or resources, Mr.
Lütke wrote. Staff will also be asked about their AI usage in performance and peer review questionnaires. The mandate reflects a growing corporate push to embed AI into every layer of business, from customer service and cybersecurity to supply-chain management.
While companies have championed these tools for their potential to improve efficiency and cut costs, they’ve also raised concerns about job replacement. Mr. Lütke’s memo frames AI as a way to empower workers and build skills, but also sets a clear tone: at the growth-obsessed company, employees who don’t use AI will be left behind.
“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 wrote. Shopify’s executives have long lauded the potential of AI, and in recent years the company has rolled out a number of AI-based features for merchants, including chatbots, image processing tools, caption writers, and e-mail tools. The company also provides staff access to AI-based coding tools.
As of the end of 2024, Shopify had approximately 8,100 employees worldwide, according to its annual report, down 200 from the prior year. Shopify’s stock price fell nearly 20 per cent last week, as investors reacted to news of U.S.
tariffs, and that that the U.S. would remove the de minimis exemption that previously allowed low-value items to enter the country tariff-free.
Shopify merchants could be hit both by the added duties and by a broader decline in spending, should costs for American consumers increase..
