

Shopify: How AI is changing software development | Featuring Farhan Thawar, VP Engineering
Farhan Thawar leads engineering at Shopify, where more than 1,000 engineers are rethinking how software gets built in the age of AI. A lifelong builder and former VP at Pivotal Labs, Farhan has spent his career shaping how world-class teams write, ship, and scale software — and today, he’s helping Shopify redefine the craft entirely.
In this conversation, he’ll share how Shopify is working directly with AI labs, embracing copilots and pair programming at scale, and even reimagining hiring — from coding interviews for VPs to AI-assisted technical screens. The result: faster learning, tighter feedback loops, and a culture that prizes curiosity over perfection.
Join us for an inside look at how one of tech’s most influential engineering leaders is building a “crafter’s paradise” for the next era of software development.