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.

Shopify’s 2025 AI Rules, A Year And A Half Later

Heath asked whether Shopify still had the AI review question and the headcount rule in place.…