In today’s landscape, AI isn’t a futuristic luxury, it’s a competitive necessity. 2025 has seen a surge in generative AI adoption: one survey finds 91% of middle-market firms now use AI in operations. Investors and executives are demanding real productivity gains, not just flashy pilots. For scrappy startups and growth-stage companies, the promise is clear: use AI to multiply output, not headcount.
AI as a Productivity Multiplier
Consider the bold example of Shopify. In April 2025, CEO Tobi Lütke mandated that teams must “prove they cannot use AI to get a job done” before hiring more people. Remarkably, Lütke notes some employees using AI “get 100 times more work done”. This isn’t a fairy tale, it illustrates how powerful AI tools can massively boost productivity for even small teams. Models are bigger and more intuitive than their predecessors, “more natural” in conversation and capable of solving complex writing and coding tasks with greater understanding. For startups, that means more work (like drafting proposals, generating marketing copy, or building code snippets) done in seconds instead of hours.
Case Study: Shopify’s AI-Driven Culture
Shopify’s internal memo offers a real-world playbook. By embedding AI into daily workflows, Shopify has essentially treated AI as a new team member. All employees are expected to use AI “as a critic, tutor and programmer” to improve efficiency. The result? Routine tasks get done extremely quickly, freeing people to focus on higher-value strategy and creativity. This reflects a key Chiri principle: AI woven into culture, not just stacked tools. Startup founders can learn from this: instill an “AI-first” mindset where employees view tools like generative AI as everyday collaborators.
Real-World Startup Strategies
For growing companies, the strategy is twofold. First, identify high-value tasks that AI can accelerate (like data analysis, report writing, or customer support triage) and automate them. Second, put humans in the loop to guide and validate AI outputs. For example, a 2025 survey of middle-market firms shows AI is widely used for text generation and workflow automation. A lean marketing team might use AI to draft personalized email campaigns in minutes, with a human marketer refining the output, achieving a 10X increase in content production without hiring extra copywriters. Similarly, a sales startup could deploy an AI agent to prioritize leads or produce sales insights, letting the small team focus on closing deals.
Bridging Tech and Talent
Crucially, this vision is human-centric. 10X output doesn’t come from firing people; it comes from empowering them with AI. Shopfiy’s approach shows employees who use AI effectively become dramatically more productive. Chiri advises startups to upskill staff early: train teams on prompting and AI tools so they become fluent AI users. Invest in simple governance and review processes to catch errors (as even advanced models can hallucinate.) The goal is an AI-augmented workforce, not an AI-alone workforce.
Embracing an AI Mindset
To realize these gains, leadership must champion the change. Define an AI strategy: set clear goals (e.g., “cut report prep time by 80%”) and track metrics. Align culture: encourage experimentation and share success stories. And prioritize value: focus on AI use cases that multiply impact. Remember, the aim is not to 10X headcount, but 10X impact with your team.
The era of “more people equals more growth” is fading. Startup and scaleup leaders have a historic chance to outperform bigger rivals by integrating AI thoughtfully. By making AI part of the company culture and strategy, small teams can achieve disproportionate results. As competitiveness heats up in 2025, the question for founders and CEOs is no longer if but how fast they will leverage AI to multiply their output.