What Impact Will Affirmative Action for “Autonomous AI Agents” Have on the Future of Work?
April 8, 2025 – – A controversial hiring policy adopted by e-commerce company Shopify is getting a lot of attention. It’s making headlines because it appears to favor AI over humans.
In an internal memo asserting that, “reflexive AI usage is now a baseline expectation at Shopify,” the company’s founder/CEO Tobias “Tobi” Lutke announced what is being interpreted as affirmative action for “autonomous AI agents”:
“Before asking for more Headcount and resources, teams must demonstrate why they cannot get what they want done using AI. What would this area look like if autonomous AI agents were already part of the team? This question can lead to really fun discussions and projects.”
Lutke posted his memo on X yesterday when he realized that “really fun discussions” attacking the new policy had exploded online. A CNBC.com article proclaimed: “Shopify CEO says staffers need to prove jobs can’t be done by AI before asking for more headcount.”
Online Conversation Raises Questions and Fears
Stunned observers are fretting that while managers are struggling with evolving definitions of DEI, they’re now required to make room for non-human job candidates. Placing compassion aside, you could say that Shopify’s HR policy is the ultimate example of merit-based hiring.
But will homo sapiens have a chance of landing a job in this brave new world?
No less a soothsayer than Elon Musk envisions a future when all jobs will be “optional.” At a tech conference last year, he predicted: “AI and the robots will provide any goods and services that you want.”
I’ve written before about the balancing act CEOs must perform as they brag to investors about their AI breakthroughs and dividends while assuring employees there will be great jobs for those who embrace disruptive technology. In the current environment of unprecedented change, neither hyperbole nor condescension are honest messaging strategies.
In Mr. Lutke’s defense, some have suggested he’s just using AI to do more with less. And he pledged in his memo that the new hiring rule would apply to all employees:
“Everyone means everyone. This applies to all of us—including me and the executive team.”
Where This Might Lead
Shopify is a public company listed on Nasdaq and the Toronto Stock Exchange. With the new policy in place, fair questions for the company’s board and investors at a future annual meeting might be: “Can Tobi and his management team demonstrate why we cannot get what we want done using AI? What would his area look like if autonomous AI agents were already part of the team?”
Think about it. An AI CEO would be ineligible for bonus compensation, require no private plane or reserved parking space at headquarters. Replacing the C-Suite with “Autonomous AI agents” would cut down on office space and coffee consumption. And forget about indecision. Even the most complex corporate decisions would be made in the blink of an eye (if there were any human eyes left to blink).
No matter how this plays out, there’s no question Lutke was right about one thing: His new hiring policy is leading to “really fun discussions.”
Crisis Quotient Blog 