Shopify’s CEO Tobi Lütke just gave his company a bold new directive on AI: Before asking for any new hires or more resources, Shopify employees now need to prove that AI can’t do the job first.
This directive came straight from an internal memo Lütke sent to staff, which he then publicly shared to get ahead of it being leaked by tech media. The message is unambiguous: Everyone at Shopify—no exceptions—should be using AI daily, and if you want to expand your team, you must first show why AI isn’t up to the task.
To understand just how radical this move is and what it means for businesses everywhere, I talked it through with Marketing AI Institute founder and CEO Paul Roetzer on Episode 144 of The Artificial Intelligence Show.
A New Standard for Hiring in the AI Era
Lütke’s memo effectively sets a new baseline expectation: AI usage isn’t optional. Lütke says “using AI well is a skill that needs to be carefully learned by…using it a lot,” and he wants every employee—himself included—pushing the limits of AI in day-to-day tasks.
If, despite all that AI can do, you still want more staff or resources, get ready to show receipts. The memo states you must demonstrate “why AI can’t handle the job.” Lütke calls this a necessary step in exploring the “fun discussions and projects” that arise when you imagine a future where AI agents join your workforce.
"The Right Approach”
Roetzer applauded Lütke’s stance, saying it should be a wake-up call for leaders across industries.
“That is the right approach,” he says. “Anyone who listens to this podcast regularly knows how pro-human I am in all of this. We have to reskill and upskill as a top priority. We have to try and create opportunities for people as jobs start to become impacted by AI. But as a business leader, this is fundamentally absolutely what you need to be asking of your team.”
From a business perspective, it’s easy to see the logic. Why hire new people when a rapidly evolving AI could handle tasks more efficiently? It’s not about eliminating humans; it’s about ensuring your team stays lean and effective in the face of explosive AI advancements.
“If you want three more customer service reps, first show me why we can’t do what they do with AI,” he says.
“If you want two more BDRs, first show me why we can’t do what they do with AI. You have a responsibility to maintain as many workers as possible and to reskill and upskill them. But you also have a responsibility to be looking out 6, 12, 18 months from now and saying: Do we really need to make this hire?”
The Unspoken Reality: AI Literacy as a Job Requirement
Lütke’s memo makes it crystal clear that AI literacy isn’t just a “nice to have.” It’s becoming a key job skill. Shopify is now evaluating employees on how effectively they use AI to boost productivity. Roetzer sees this trend accelerating fast.
“I think we're going to start to see more leaders take a very direct approach to this and be more specific about requiring AI usage,” he says.
“I've had these conversations with leaders in the last two weeks that are doing this exact thing, which is stating that AI literacy and competency are going to become a filter for your employment. Meaning you're not going to be there if you don't figure this stuff out.”
As businesses scramble to capitalize on AI, they’ll look for people who can wield these tools to drive growth, efficiency, and innovation. If you’re ignoring them? You risk quickly falling behind.
Why This Matters: The Race to Reimagine Workflows
The real significance of Lütke’s move lies in how it forces teams to reimagine workflows, processes, and entire business units. It’s no longer enough to keep doing things “the way we always have.” AI is accelerating to the point that roles once considered vital might be handled (or significantly augmented) by intelligent systems.
And we’re not just talking about customer support chatbots. From internal analytics to marketing campaigns to software development, AI is cutting into the time and effort it takes to get meaningful work done.
That’s going to have a material impact on expectations around revenue per employee, says Roetzer.
“I think those numbers are gonna get completely reset and I can say this from personal experience of building our company in a more efficient way and how I look to our future,” he says.
He predicts that, as AI-forward teams automate more tasks, they’ll unlock productivity leaps that were once unthinkable, potentially reaching the efficiency levels of tech giants with far fewer employees.
We could see service firms and knowledge-based businesses doing revenue per employee numbers that are far higher than expected norms today—ones that more closely resemble the numbers being done by software and hardware companies.
“I think the employees that move forward and prove their ability to drive productivity, efficiency, creativity, and impact on revenue and growth, they're going to be in the best position to keep their jobs and thrive because revenue per employee numbers are going to go up,” says Roetzer.
A Glimpse of the AI Workforce Future
Lütke’s stance at Shopify probably won’t be the exception for long. Roetzer believes that by the end of 2025, most organizations will adopt similar policies:
- Mandatory AI usage. You may soon need to demonstrate AI literacy just to remain in your current role.
- Justify new hires. Leaders will increasingly push back on requests for new roles, insisting teams test AI solutions first.
- Performance reviews on AI. Employees will be assessed on how they integrate AI into their workstreams, fueling a new kind of on-the-job training.
The upside? If you’re willing to adapt, you’ll be invaluable.
One CEO’s Memo, a Global Trend
It might seem like just one CEO’s internal note, but Lütke’s message underscores a much bigger transformation. Organizations across the board are shifting their mindset on AI—from a neat trick for automating repetitive tasks to a fundamental job requirement woven into performance metrics.
And Shopify’s approach, to push employees into daily AI usage and demand proof that AI can’t handle a role before filling it, may soon define the new normal.
“But it takes reimagining what companies look like,” says Roetzer. “And the way you do that is by building an AI literate, AI competent, AI forward workforce.”
If it feels sudden or intimidating, just remember: We’re already living in a world where AI is starting to handle tasks we once thought were exclusively human territory. The best response is to keep learning, and stay open to the fact that your job, team, and entire company will look very different in the near future.
Mike Kaput
As Chief Content Officer, Mike Kaput uses content marketing, marketing strategy, and marketing technology to grow and scale traffic, leads, and revenue for Marketing AI Institute. Mike is the co-author of Marketing Artificial Intelligence: AI, Marketing and the Future of Business (Matt Holt Books, 2022). See Mike's full bio.