Executives at the Ottawa-headquartered firm told employees at a town hall Thursday they will be able to decide how much of their total compensation to take in salary and in equity, a source told The Globe and Mail. The changes will take effect in July. (The Globe and Mail)

Talking point: Shopify employees’ options and vesting shares are a lot less lucrative than a few months ago, as the stock opened Friday at US$639.30 on the New York Stock Exchange, 63.7 per cent lower than its mid-November peak. Last month, The Information reported that some staff were leaving the company in part over its reluctance to raise base salaries to make up part of the difference. In February, Shopify said it planned to hire more engineers this year than the 2,000-plus it brought on in 2021 “despite an exceptionally competitive market for top talent,” and also build out its sales team. Allowing new hires to insulate themselves from its swinging stock price may be one way to do that.