What Shopify’s AI Memo Really Means for Customer Success

I recently stumbled across a CNBC story about Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke, who told employees: “Prove AI can’t do the job before you ask for more headcount.” Talk about flipping the usual script on hiring! Lutke’s stance shows just how central AI has become for companies—especially now that everyone, from CFOs to product teams, wants to do more with fewer people.

‍Why AI-First Thinking Matters for Post-Sales Teams
‍In Customer Success, we’re used to scaling up by hiring additional CSMs whenever the account base grows. But that can quickly torpedo profitability, especially if we’re also expected to deliver top-tier experiences to every customer. Meanwhile, subscription businesses rely more than ever on retention and upsells—metrics like Net Dollar Retention (NDR) and Gross Retention Rate (GRR) can make or break quarterly results.

‍Lutke’s Challenge—and the Opportunity
‍Lutke’s memo reminds us that artificial intelligence isn’t just about automating routine tasks: it’s about freeing your skilled employees to tackle high-value work. For customer-facing teams, that means AI can:

‍Spot usage dips or churn flags long before they become an issue

Suggest upsell or expansion opportunities based on real-time behavior

Automate follow-ups and outreach at scale, so CSMs aren’t manually sending hundreds of reminders

Think of it like having an AI “co-pilot” that handles the labor-intensive portion of managing accounts. Rather than seeing a spike in hiring, you empower the existing team to handle a wider range of customers, while retaining (or even boosting) NRR and GRR.

‍Introducing Customer Growth Automation with Magnify
‍If Lutke’s memo has you thinking, “Great, but how do I do that?”—that’s where Magnify enters the picture. We call our approach Customer Growth Automation (CGA), which merges AI-driven insights, multi-channel engagement, and automated workflows to scale post-sales efforts—without ballooning headcount.

AI Forecasting: Instead of relying on vague “health scores,” Magnify projects exact revenue at risk or up for expansion, helping you prioritize accounts with the highest ROI potential.

Targeted Automations: From in-app nudges to email campaigns, Magnify executes personalized omni-channel outreach for churn risk or upsell opportunities—so your team can focus on high-impact conversations.

Unified View: By pulling data from CRM, support, billing, and product analytics, Magnify gives you a single pane of glass on usage trends and renewal risks.

Why It Matters for NDR and GRR
CGA works because it’s proactive and revenue-centric. You don’t wait until 30 days before renewal to spot churn risks; you see them quarters ahead. That not only boosts Net Dollar Retention (thanks to expansions and reduced churn) but also increases Gross Retention Rate by tackling root issues before they escalate.

‍A Final Note: Embrace the AI Era
‍Lutke’s AI-first hiring policy might feel disruptive, but it also prompts us to question old assumptions about staffing. If you can achieve better retention, stronger expansions, and consistent NDR growth without an army of new hires, why wouldn’t you? That’s the essence of Magnify’s Customer Growth Automation. It’s about letting AI handle the repetitive tasks and alerts—enabling your human team to shine where they add the most value. And that’s a future Lutke — and the rest of us — can appreciate.

This new approach is transforming the way some of the largest tech companies are managing their customers at scale.  

Visit our page on Digital Scale CS and let Magnify help you do the same.