Leak: Shopify workers fear being replaced as AI-first support planned

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Leaked audio details Shopify's plans for AI-first customer support as workers fear they'll be replaced by AI

This story is available exclusively to Insider subscribers.Shopify executives laid out their plans for an AI-first Support org during a recent town hall. Some employees expressed concern that their jobs may not be safe.

During a question-and-answer portion at the end of the town hall, one employee asked how support advisors could be reassured that their jobs are safe. Shopify's first round of layoffs last July hit its Support division hard, and the company conducted a second round of layoffs in May. The second roundIn response to the question, executives encouraged employees to sharpen their skills and stay at the forefront of emerging technology.

A presentation outlined what the future of the Support org will look like, designating priorities like becoming AI-first and more data-informed, centralizing decision-making, shipping new features quickly, and staying lean. The goal, executives said during the town hall, is to make it easier for merchants to get answers to simpler questions without having to involve Shopify employees unless necessary. This may mean that support advisors' overall work volume decreases, but that the time they spend on each case increases, Glen Worthington, vice president and chief of staff at Shopify, said during the town hall.

"It's rare in one's career that you get to work through an industry sea change," he said. "Isn't it cool that we get to be in the forefront and take whatever skills we develop from this and reapply them elsewhere, or here, or in other jobs."

 

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