Shopify has let go of its chief marketing officer Jeff Weiser, in a move that will see the e-commerce giant restructure its marketing department and strategy, BetaKit has learned.
In an internal email to staff, obtained by BetaKit, Shopify co-founder and CEO Tobi Lütke stated that Weiser is no longer with the company. Weiser, who led Shopify’s marketing team from its office in New York, has been with the company since February 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile.
In the email to employees, Lütke explained that Shopify’s current way of doing marketing, led by Weiser for the past couple of years, “constitutes a ‘successful discovery of something that didn’t work.'” The CEO noted that with the termination of Weiser, the company now plans to “reboot and take another route.”
Along with Weiser’s termination, Shopify is consolidating its marketing division with its product division, which is led by chief product officer Craig Miller. Miller was the former chief marketing officer for Shopify from 2011 to 2018. Various portions of the marketing team are also being moved to different departments in the company, with COO Harley Finklestein in charge of brand and communications, creative, and Shopify Studios. VP of international Aaron Brown and Bruno Roldan, VP and GM of product sourcing, will also be leading portions of marketing.
Lütke noted in the email, which was sent out Tuesday morning, “this is a lot of change to take in all at once.” He added that the new consolidated teams “will be active in shaping the next version of growth at Shopify.”
“The rebooted marketing team will operate less like an agency and more like one company,” Lütke wrote. “At one point in the past, marketing and product were integrated and growth was planned into the product work from the build phase onwards. We need to get back there.”
The termination of Weiser is reportedly a big shakeup for Shopify and comes as a surprise to staff, with one employee calling it “a bit of a shock to everyone.” Sources familiar with the situation, however, have expressed that operations may not have been running smoothly within the marketing division, with issues around culture, as well as Weiser’s performance in his role. The division has reportedly faced some recent turn over with its senior leadership. BetaKit has not independently verified these allegations.
Shopify is holding an information session regarding the changes for all employees on Tuesday.
The termination and company restructuring comes as Shopify is set to announce is fourth quarter 2019 results in one week’s time, on February 12.
BetaKit has reached out to Shopify for comment.
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