Earlier this year Shopify announced that they were making a significant investment in Vancouver, with plans to hire 1,000 employees and open their first permanent office.
It was big news for Vancouver.
For the six years leading up to 2020, Shopify had been growing their presence in B.C. by supporting hundreds of employees who work remotely in the region but they didn’t have an office to call home.
Known historically for their flexible working arrangements, the COVID-19 crisis has pushed Shopify further in that direction.
Today CEO Tobi Lutke announced on Twitter that Shopify is now a digital by default company.
“We will keep our offices closed until 2021 so that we can rework them for this new reality. And after that, most will permanently work remotely. Office centricity is over.”
As of today, Shopify is a digital by default company. We will keep our offices closed until 2021 so that we can rework them for this new reality. And after that, most will permanently work remotely. Office centricity is over.
— Tobi Lutke 🌳🌲🛒🕹 (@tobi) May 21, 2020
Satish Kanwar clarified that the company will open ‘hubs’ in 2021 in cities like Toronto, Ottawa, Waterloo, Montreal, Vancouver, and more globally. But “They’ll be different from what we all remember though, as we rethink our floor plans, seating, and need for meeting rooms,” Kanwar tweeted.
We’ll reopen @Shopify hubs in 2021 in cities like Toronto, Ottawa, Waterloo, Montreal, Vancouver, and more globally. They’ll be different from what we all remember though, as we rethink our floor plans, seating, and need for meeting rooms. https://t.co/JPaLg6yaqh
— Satish Kanwar (@skanwar) May 21, 2020
In a statement to Daily Hive, Brittany Forsyth, the Chief Talent Officer of Spotify, said the company is committed to retaining its recruiting hubs at its current and future Canadian markets, and other global locations.
“Digital by default is the mental model we’ll use to transform our ways of working, so we can match the ingenuity and creativity we’re seeing our merchants exhibit as they adapt,” she said.
Image: digital