Shopify’s CEO Tobias Lütke announced the company’s plans to implement artificial intelligence (AI) in all aspects of its operations. In a new memorandum, he emphasized that all employees must have skills in using AI-based tools, and before hiring new team members, they must prove that their work cannot be performed by artificial intelligence.
This is reported by Finway
To optimize resources, Shopify will only hire those workers who are not at risk of being replaced by AI. In the memorandum, Lütke notes that “the reflexive use of AI is a common practice” within the company.
“You may already find this memorandum unclear. If so, you are actively using AI as a partner, researcher, critic, mentor, or even a coding assistant. I use it all the time, but even so, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of this topic,” Lütke stated.
According to Lütke, users need to learn how to interact with AI, and this can be achieved by actively using the technology. The memorandum also highlights several key aspects:
- effective use of AI is expected from every employee;
- AI must be an integral part of any prototype during global software development;
- questions regarding the use of AI will be included in interviews;
- the company will provide the necessary AI-based tools, and employees can request additional ones;
- these requirements apply to all employees, including Lütke himself.
In his address, Lütke also mentioned that teams must demonstrate why they need additional personnel and resources if they cannot achieve results using AI. “This question could lead to interesting discussions and cases,” he emphasized.
No additional information about potential layoffs was provided. However, Lütke stressed that “it is unlikely that employees will be able to abandon AI skills today or tomorrow.”
Connor Grogan, head of the product department at Coinbase, commented on the memorandum, stating, “I completely agree with this. I didn’t need to hire junior staff due to the ability to fill gaps with AI. At the same time, I am confident that the vast majority of managers do not understand these tools.”
Grogan believes that Shopify’s example will not be followed by other tech companies, but in his opinion, moving in this direction is the right decision. It was previously reported that in a quarter of Y Combinator startups, 95% of the code is written by AI models, but it still needs to be manually verified, which requires certain qualifications.