February 11, 2026
Robots, memos, and meltdown
AI-First Company Memos
Bosses say “use AI or lose your seat” — workers clap back
TLDR: Companies from Shopify to Meta are declaring “AI-first,” with some tying promotions and hiring to AI use and others cutting staff. The community fires back: it feels like cost-cutting dressed as innovation, with surveillance vibes, though a few cheer Klarna’s human-friendly reversal as proof the pendulum can swing back.
The AI-first memo craze exploded from Shopify to Box, Duolingo, Fiverr, Meta, Klarna, even Canada’s government — and the internet lit up with spicy takes. Shopify’s Tobi Lütke urged teams to prove AI can’t do it before hiring, with the ominous line: “Stagnation is slow-motion failure.” Box’s Aaron Levie flipped it to “show AI works and get more headcount,” earning rare applause. But Duolingo’s “F‑r‑AI‑days” drew backlash — the community’s chant: “AI first means people last.” Fiverr went full ice-bath with “AI is coming for your job,” then cut 30% of staff five months later, prompting one commenter to call it “especially cold” (Entrepreneur). Meta made “AI impact” part of performance reviews, and engineers in the thread say it’s already turning into surveillance dashboards. Klarna’s CEO staged a human comeback tour, admitting cost focus led to “lower quality,” then rehiring people (Fortune). The hottest fight: tool‑driven productivity vs. people‑driven dignity. One camp says executives are botching the message; the other shrugs that this is just capitalism with chatbots. Bonus meme: users grumbled about X/Twitter embeds tracking them — “Screenshots don’t track me” — because even the links feel like spyware. Buckle up, the memo wars are here (Digital Commerce 360).
Key Points
- •In April 2025, Shopify mandated AI use as a baseline, requiring teams to prove AI couldn’t do tasks before adding headcount and tying AI proficiency to reviews.
- •Box encouraged teams to demonstrate effective AI use to gain headcount and instituted AI workflow “show and tell” sessions.
- •Duolingo declared itself AI-first, reduced contractor use for AI-suitable work, and launched AI experimentation days; later clarified no full-time layoffs.
- •Fiverr’s CEO warned of AI’s job impact, directed staff to learn tools like Cursor and Legora, and later cut 30% of the workforce.
- •Meta formalized AI-driven impact in performance reviews from 2026; Klarna reversed an aggressive AI-first stance over quality concerns; Canada and Citigroup extended AI-first messaging to government and finance.