Shopify's performance reviews asked how staff used AI. Its CEO says the answers didn't matter, and the question can give a company a reputation to live up to.

Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke says it didn’t matter how employees answered the AI question his company added to its performance reviews. Having the question there, he said on the Sources podcast, can “give a company a reputation to live up to.”

The question came out of an April 2025 memo in which he told employees “reflexive AI usage is now a baseline expectation at Shopify.” The memo said, “We will add AI usage questions to our performance and peer review questionnaire.” It also said teams would have to show why AI couldn’t do the work before asking for more headcount and resources.

He made the comments to Alex Heath in an episode published Oct. 28 and recorded at Shopify’s Toronto office. He also said an AI skeptic who keeps their head down won’t become a top performer at a company where everyone around them works with AI agents.

Heath asked whether Shopify still had the AI review question and the headcount rule in place. Lütke said both now happen on their own. “I don’t have to enforce these kind of things,” he said.

” He took that as a sign Shopify had already made the transition.

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