From Shopify to Fiverr, CEOs are spelling it out: adapt to AI or get left behind. Resistance is futile, but upskilling might just save your job.

AI Isn’t Coming—It’s Already Here

The office apocalypse won’t be announced with trumpet blasts or robotic overlords bursting through the walls. It’ll look more like a politely worded memo from your CEO telling you that, starting today, your new colleague is a generative AI model—and it doesn’t ask for vacation time.

CEOs across industries are making it abundantly clear: artificial intelligence isn't just a cool tool to help with spreadsheets—it's a replacement plan. A succession strategy. A workforce shake-up. And if you’re not adapting to it, you’re already falling behind.

Just ask Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke, who recently laid it out with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer: Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke recently sent a memo to employees saying that before they asked for additional team members, or more resources, they have to show that they “cannot get what they want done using AI,” according to reporting by CNBC.

Translation: AI doesn’t sleep, doesn’t need healthcare, and won’t complain about Slack messages at 11 p.m. and you’d better watch out.

Your CEO Wants You to Upskill Yesterday

While some executives are publicly upbeat about AI being a “co-pilot” or a “productivity partner,” behind closed doors, the messaging has taken a sharper edge. A recent piece from Inc. shows a growing trend: CEOs warning employees in no uncertain terms to embrace AI or become irrelevant. In the most brutally efficient corporate-speak, it’s either upskill or be outpaced.

Fiverr CEO Micha Kaufman put it even more bluntly: “Here’s an unpleasant truth: AI is on its way to taking your job. It’s even on its way to taking my job. This is a wake-up call,” he said according to reports by Geektime.

It's a message that's consistent across industries. Generative AI is no longer an experiment—it’s a strategic imperative. And companies are starting to value adaptability over loyalty, speed over seniority, and machine fluency over management fluff.

The Age of Human-AI Collaboration (or Competition)

For now, the happy corporate fiction is that AI will “assist” rather than “replace.” But that depends entirely on your definition of assistance. If your job is to draft emails, analyze spreadsheets, or brainstorm ad copy—congratulations, you’re on the shortlist for automation Automation Automation is defined as the procedure of making an apparatus, a process, or a system to operate by mechanical or electronic devices that replace human labor. Additionally, automation is also sometimes referred to as mechanization or robotization. For example, employees have many costly needs, including government regulations. However, robotic workers don’t need much other than some routine maintenance and the occasional bug fix for an equipment malfunction or software bug. There is no overtime Automation is defined as the procedure of making an apparatus, a process, or a system to operate by mechanical or electronic devices that replace human labor. Additionally, automation is also sometimes referred to as mechanization or robotization. For example, employees have many costly needs, including government regulations. However, robotic workers don’t need much other than some routine maintenance and the occasional bug fix for an equipment malfunction or software bug. There is no overtime Read this Term.

Remember its "just a tool", it's here to "Help you", "adapt or die". pic.twitter.com/pmVr8GpI2e

— 🏮Zakuga Art🏮 (@ZakugaMignon) April 7, 2025

What’s more, some CEOs seem to now be actively reshaping job roles to favor AI-savvy workers. Reskilling is no longer a perk; it’s a survival tactic. The days of coasting on a decent résumé are over. Today’s winners will be those who can work with AI, or better yet, make AI work for them.

Take Shopify again. Lütke’s message wasn’t just about the shift to AI—it was about moving fast. In his vision, AI is integrated deeply into company processes. Being skilled in the use of AI is “now a fundamental expectation of everyone at Shopify,” according to Lütke and AI-related questions will be part of “our performance and peer review questionnaire,” he said. It’s about optimization at all costs—and humans are no longer the default answer to every business problem.

Automation Anxiety is the New Normal

Of course, not everyone’s thrilled. We’re certain that plenty of whispered Slack messages and side-eye in Zoom calls might just be suggesting that many employees are dealing with a creeping sense of dread. Can you blame them? When the C-suite starts waxing poetic about AI efficiency, it’s hard not to imagine your role as the next line of code to be added our the latest GPT or bot.

This is incredible..

This AI agents can go through your CV, find matching jobs online, and start applying for them on its own.

pic.twitter.com/ErrlQFW13C

— el.cine (@EHuanglu) January 5, 2025

This seems like a vicious circle.

But here’s the kicker: CEOs aren’t just passively watching this transformation—they’re accelerating it. Whether by investing in AI startups, embedding AI across departments, or making public declarations like Lütke and Kaufman, the message is clear. This isn’t a phase. This is the new operating system for business.

Adapt or Die Trying - How to Upskill in AI

As a writer who largely publishes online, I’ve got a lot to lose to AI, or rather, I’ve got a reason to be a little wary. I work as a journalist and writer, I also do copywriting for a few PR firms. I’m the sort of person that AI might well make obsolete.

But while it’s true that AI is replacing certain roles, it’s also creating new ones for those willing to evolve. The secret? Learning to work with AI, not against it.

Start with the basics: platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and edX offer affordable (even free) AI courses tailored to different fields. You don’t need a PhD in machine learning—just knowing how to use tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Notion AI, or Claude can make you a more valuable asset.

In creative industries, copywriters and designers can use generative AI for brainstorming, drafting, or rapid prototyping. Instead of fearing AI art generators, illustrators are using tools like DALL·E to speed up concept development and mood boards. Writers are using ChatGPT for outlines, first drafts, or SEO optimization. Personally, I will never publish anything online that has my name on it if it’s been written by AI. But, SEO optimization on the other hand? It’s the perfect way to make sure that you’re hitting all your keywords, optimizing your titles and subtitles and more.

In finance, AI can automate reporting, analyze trends, and flag anomalies. But it still needs humans to interpret, guide, and verify. Tools like Tableau, Alteryx, and Power BI are great entry points for financial analysts looking to layer AI into their workflows.

Even in data entry—a job under serious threat from automation—upskilling into data annotation, AI model training, or basic Python scripting can pivot your career into more secure (and higher-paid) territory.

The bottom line? AI is a tool—like Excel once was. And just like in the '90s, those who learned it early had an edge. You don’t need to become an engineer overnight. You just need to stop ignoring the revolution and start picking up the tools that will keep you relevant in the next economy.

A Ray of Hope?

I’ll leave you with one example, and a reason to be a little more optimistic than you were a few paragraphs before. AI “lies”. It makes mistakes. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview the CEO of a massive fashion house. I did the interview over Zoom and downloaded the audio recording. I then used an AI platform to transcribe the audio and ChatGPT to format and structure a rough draft. Upon reading the transcript, I noticed that the CEO said something I knew for a fact he didn’t. I listened to the recording. The AI had completely mis-transcribed four or five lines and entirely misconstrued what the guy said. I threw it out and transcribed it piece by piece, carefully checking each paragraph, it took me hours, but it was necessary. AI makes mistakes.

It also produces “robotic” copy, copy that lacks heart and soul. To this day, it requires human input, a human needs to check it, and a human’s talent needs to direct and shape the results.

AI isn’t yet at the point of replacing us (at least in the creative fields), and we’ve all got the opportunity to learn and to adapt, to leverage it rather than fear it. Though, granted, it is pretty worrying.

If you’re looking for more slightly irreverent takes on finance and tech-adjacent news, check our Trending section. Now, off you go, and learn all about AI.