“Fast And Chaotic” — Shopify Cancels All Meetings With More Than Two Staffers

Shopify may have single handedly shifted the trajectory of what meetings could look like in the future. 

This week, the company announced that it is nixing all meetings with more than two workers in an attempt to right-size its workforce’s calendar and marking its next step in embracing a fully remote workforce.  

These recurring meetings will now be a relic of the past to give staff more time to work on other projects, effective immediately. No events will be allowed on Wednesdays, while meetings with 50 or more staffers can only be held on Thursdays between 11 am and 5 pm EST. 

According to a spokesperson, these restrictions will cut down over 76,500 hours of meetings, enabling employees to be more productive and flexible throughout the workday. 

The “calendar purge” continues Shopify’s shift to an autonomous workforce, where unnecessary meetings will no longer eat into an employee’s day. Plus, by being picky about the number of meetings being held, the company can instill a new sense of purpose when teams do come together.  

“We can either go slow and deliberate, or fast and chaotic. We are going fast and chaotic,” wrote Kaz Nejatian, vice president of product and chief operating officer at Shopify, in an email to staff. “While we know this will feel chaotic, that’s the point. Intentional chaos is more than okay, and it’s part of working and thriving at Shopify.”