GoKawiilShopify COO Jess Hertz Says Company Now Prioritizes 'X-Shaped' Employees Over Specialists
Shopify COO Jess Hertz said the $185 billion e-commerce company is shifting its hiring criteria toward what she calls 'X-shaped people'—workers with multiple deep areas of expertise rather than one specialty paired with broad general skills. She explained this change is driven by AI's growing role in the workplace, which demands employees who can absorb complexity and work fluidly across disciplines. Hertz made the comments on the Rapid Response podcast, noting Shopify recently posted $3.58 billion in second-quarter revenue, up 34% year-over-year.
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Hertz's comments signal a broader shift in how major tech employers are redefining valuable talent as AI reshapes routine and specialized tasks alike. Her emphasis on 'team composition' suggests companies may increasingly hire for versatility and cross-disciplinary depth rather than narrow specialization, which could reshape career paths and skill-building priorities for workers navigating an AI-driven economy.
- Shopify COO Jess Hertz favors hiring 'X-shaped' employees with multiple areas of deep expertise over traditional 'T-shaped' specialists.
- Hertz says AI is driving this shift by requiring workers to rapidly absorb complexity across different domains.
- Shopify posted $3.58 billion in Q2 2026 revenue, a 34% year-over-year increase, as the company scales its AI strategy.
Range by David Epstein (book) — Shopify's COO says the future belongs to "X-shaped" people with multiple spikes of expertise instead of narrow specialists instead of narrow specialists, and David Epstein's Range makes exactly that case. It's a compelling read on why broad, cross-disciplinary experience helps people absorb complexity and adapt fast instead of narrow specialists exactly the trait Shopify is now hiring for.
See Range by David Epstein (book) on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: entrepreneur.com — Sherin Shibu, 2026-09-04
Published there as: “She Runs a $185 Billion Company. Here’s the Exact Type of Person She Is Looking to Hire.”
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