There is one job-reshaping question that we are asking the wrong way. Which roles does AI make redundant?
BCG's latest research indicates that 50-55% of US jobs will be reshaped by AI within the next two years. But "reshaped" is not "replaced". The question that actually matters is how we redesign those roles to capture what automation makes possible.
Most affected roles stay with new responsibilities, and the purpose they serve evolves over time.
Shopify made this explicit. In early 2025, Tobi Lütke told every team that before requesting headcount, they had to demonstrate that AI could not do the work. That forced role redesign across the company. Revenue grew 32% year on year. Revenue per employee more than doubled. Headcount stayed flat.
It’s hard for startups and SME to run this exercise. The Head of People manages hiring, performance cycles, and the existing culture infrastructure. Identifying which roles look fundamentally different in 18 months requires dedicated time, operational data, and decision rights to act. Those three things rarely coexist in a small People function.
This matters at the individual level too. Shopify did not hand employees a new job description. Teams had to prove where human work was irreplaceable. That means the people who came out stronger were the ones who had already tested where AI extended their output and where it didn't.
The companies and individuals who navigate these transitions well have one thing in common: they design the next version of their roles before someone else does.
Workforce design in the AI era belongs in the same conversation as the company's OKRs. Treating it as an HR task raises operating costs. Treating it as something that can wait means missing the growth that redesigned roles unlock.