The Leadership Shift AI Now Demands

Have you seen this memo that Tobi Lütke just shared internally at Shopify?
“Prove that AI can’t do it."

"From now on, all headcount requests at Shopify must begin with an automation assessment. If you want to hire a human, you must first prove that AI cannot do the job. AI proficiency will now be part of performance reviews. Managers are expected to redesign workflows with automation as the starting assumption—not the afterthought."

"This is not an experiment. This is our new standard. Sidekick changed the game for our merchants. Now it changes the game for us.
This isn’t a future-gazing statement—it’s a live operating shift. AI is no longer the assistant. It’s the default teammate."
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This isn’t just a tech policy. It’s a shift in how leadership thinks and operates. AI is no longer a support tool. It’s the starting point. If a task can be done by software, it should be.

What’s happening now isn’t entirely new. We saw something similar with the rise of digital-first thinking over the past 20 years. But the difference this time is that it’s not about being outpaced by a younger colleague who knows how to run social. It’s the technology itself that can take over the work. So the headcount conversation gets real, fast.

That said, this doesn’t eliminate the need for people. It changes what we need people for. AI can execute. It can scale. But it still can’t lead, imagine, empathize, or handle true ambiguity. That’s the new human lane.

The real opportunity now is designing teams and roles around those capabilities. It’s not about cutting people. It’s about clearing the repetitive stuff so humans can focus on what actually matters.

We’re past “How can AI help?”

Now it’s “Why are we still doing this manually, and what do we want people doing instead?”

Would love to hear how you're thinking about this?