Shopify’s head of core product leaves for OpenAI

Group 1 - Glen Coates, former VP and head of core product at Shopify, is joining OpenAI to lead its app platform and develop ChatGPT into an operating system [1][2][3] - Coates expressed excitement about architecting an operating system from the ground up, leveraging the capabilities of ChatGPT [3] - Coates has been a key figure in Shopify's product updates, including the recent Winter Editions '25, which featured over 150 updates focused on AI integration [4] Group 2 - Shopify has a market capitalization of $300 billion CAD, making it one of the most valuable public companies in Canada [6] - OpenAI is reportedly in discussions to raise $10 billion USD from Amazon, with a valuation exceeding $500 billion USD, to enhance its computational capabilities for large-language models [6] - Coates' departure follows a series of executive changes at Shopify, including the exit of COO Kaz Nejatian and other key personnel, alongside recent job cuts [7]