Shopify cuts operations staff amid AI-driven restructuring

May 7, 2026 Shopify Inc. has laid off at least 30 employees as part of a broader reorganization of its operations, customer support and revenue teams. The cuts come as the Canadian e-commerce company continues reducing headcount while pushing employees to adopt AI tools more aggressively and refocusing its business around larger enterprise customers.

The layoffs took place in April and affected workers in both Canada and the United States, according to reporting from The Logic, social media posts and people familiar with the matter. The restructuring follows several previous rounds of cuts over the last two years, including layoffs in Shopify’s partnerships division earlier this year that reportedly eliminated roughly one-third of that team.

Shopify confirmed organizational changes but did not disclose how many employees were affected.

“These changes give the team clearer ownership, more consistency, and set a higher bar as we build for what’s ahead,” said Ben McConaghy in a statement to The Logic. He added that the restructuring would “sharpen focus on our highest priorities.”

The latest changes appear tied to a larger overhaul of Shopify’s revenue and support operations following the departure of chief revenue officer Bobby Morrison and two other executives last October.

In a LinkedIn post, Shopify chief operating officer Jess Hertz said the company would merge responsibility for revenue and support under a single leadership structure. As part of that change, Joe Strolz was promoted from vice-president of global support to oversee both areas.

Hertz also announced that Lauren Nemeth, previously chief revenue officer at New Relic, would join Shopify to help expand the company’s enterprise business.

In a separate post, Shopify president Harley Finkelstein described the restructuring as a move toward “single-threaded ownership from first conversation to merchant success” with “cleaner handoffs” between teams.

The internal changes come during a period of sustained pressure on Shopify employees. Several sources previously told The Logic that recurring layoffs and constant restructuring had damaged morale, with workers growing accustomed to what some described as a permanent risk of job cuts.

Some of the employees affected by the latest restructuring had reportedly worked at Shopify for more than a decade. At least one laid-off employee wrote publicly that they had recently attended a company event recognizing top-performing members of the revenue organization before losing their job.

The reorganization also coincided with the departure of several senior leaders. Carl Rivera, who helped lead development of Shopify’s Shop app, announced his exit after nearly eight years at the company. Andrius Baranauskas and Cauê Guerra also said they were leaving.

Shopify has steadily reduced staffing levels since conducting two major rounds of layoffs in 2022 and 2023. According to company filings, Shopify employed roughly 7,600 people at the end of 2025, down by about 500 employees year-over-year.

Executives have openly described the smaller workforce as intentional. Speaking at a Morgan Stanley conference in March, Finkelstein said Shopify had not been increasing headcount and noted that employee numbers had declined for eight to 10 consecutive quarters.

The cuts are also happening alongside Shopify’s increasingly aggressive internal AI strategy. In 2025, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke told employees that “reflexive AI usage is now a baseline expectation” across the company.

Lütke said teams requesting additional resources or staff would need to first demonstrate that AI could not perform the work instead. Since then, Shopify has expanded AI-assisted tools across several parts of the business, including customer support operations.



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Mary Dada

Mary Dada is the associate editor for Tech Newsday, where she covers the latest innovations and happenings in the tech industry’s evolving landscape. Mary focuses on tech content writing from analyses of emerging digital trends to exploring the business side of innovation.
Picture of Mary Dada

Mary Dada

Mary Dada is the associate editor for Tech Newsday, where she covers the latest innovations and happenings in the tech industry’s evolving landscape. Mary focuses on tech content writing from analyses of emerging digital trends to exploring the business side of innovation.

Jim Love

Jim is an author and podcast host with over 40 years in technology.

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