Today, June 1st, Mercari made this announcement. I thought a company like this would eventually appear in Japan, but it happened sooner than expected. As expected of Mercari.
https://x.com/mercari_inc/status/2061238942486417556?s=20
I'd like to write a few thoughts based on this. There seem to be implications for many different companies.
1. AI is no longer just about tool introduction, but a matter of "Redesigning the Organizational OS"
For many companies, AI is still at the stage of "distributing and having people use convenient tools." However, I think Mercari is making a distinction that "individual use is over; next is the organizational mechanism itself."
Even if work speed increases with AI, if approval flows and organizational structures remain old-fashioned, they become bottlenecks—a phenomenon that applies to other companies as well. Yes, indeed.
2. Transformation stops if AI and HR responsibilities are separated
The press release explicitly states something to the effect that "because AI strategy and HR strategy had different leaders, structural reform and AI promotion were structurally fragmented." This suggests that in many companies, AI promotion is handled by IT or DX departments, while organization and evaluation are handled by HR, which can be a cause for lack of progress.
While having one person hold both roles isn't necessarily the only right answer, the design of collaboration between the two will certainly be a point of discussion for other companies following suit.
3. The sequence of preparing the foundation before "trying it out" is helpful
In Mercari's case, instead of a sudden company-wide reform, they followed this sequence:
1) Establish a dedicated team of about 100 people
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2) Deconstruct business processes to visualize the potential for AI integration
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3) Establish AI governance (rules and control)
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4) Achieve 100% usage rate
The fact that they are providing numerical results (such as a 1.9x increase in development volume) also seems useful as persuasive material both internally and externally.
4. The approach of "HR departments changing themselves first"
It shows a sequence where the HR department itself first becomes a practitioner proficient in using AI before rolling it out company-wide. This is suggestive as a check against situations where the promoting department isn't using it themselves. Honestly, if HR isn't touching AI, nothing can be done. They can't even join the discussion.
5. Points for redesigning evaluation systems based on AI
The press release also mentions creating a "mechanism to properly evaluate individuals and teams that produce overwhelming results with AI." How to reflect increased productivity from AI in evaluation and compensation is an area that many companies have not yet prepared. It's an unavoidable challenge.
6. Competitive messaging in the recruitment market
Reading this alongside the recruitment page, their stance of welcoming AI-native talent by touting a "product base of 23 million users + cutting-edge AI environment" is clear. The input fields on the event registration page are also very much aimed at recruitment (as expected). For other companies wanting to hire similar talent, I thought this move would force a review of the environment, compensation, and evaluation they offer.
Personally, I think "CTO → CHRO" is possible, but the reverse is impossible (extremely difficult), so I thought it's a topic that will also influence the career perspectives of HR professionals.
