tobi lutke

Shopify CEO by day, Dad in evening, hacker at night, Aspiring comprehensivist.
+ qmd !

[tobi lutke @tobi]

Yea that was a fun one.

Thank you for celebrating the glory of entrepreneurship, David.

[David Senra @davidsenra]

My conversation with Tobi Lütke (@tobi), co-founder and CEO of Shopify.

0:00 Companies as Social Technology
5:27 The Value of Reading Books: Cheat Codes for Life
7:28 Post-IPO Crisis: Cosplaying as a CEO
7:54 Competition vs Rivalry: The Power of Healthy Competition
16:02 COVID as a Turning Point: Rebuilding the Executive Team
18:21 Hiring Founders: Building a Team of High-Agency People
26:49 Shopify OS: Engineering the Company from First Principles
36:48 Compensation Innovation: Giving Employees Full Agency
40:41 The Psychology of Identity and Affirmations
48:43 Differentiation Over Perfection: Making It Your Own
50:31 Context Podcast: Documenting Decision-Making
1:26:36 The IPO Decision: Going Against Silicon Valley Orthodoxy
1:35:08 Building a Company Worth Working For
1:41:50 Hiring for Spikiness: Finding Non-Conformists
1:48:28 Office Design Philosophy: Creating Space for Excellence
1:58:54 Video Games as Business Training: StarCraft Lessons
2:07:06 AI Revolution: 2026 and Beyond
2:11:44 Focus on Craft: The Unquantifiable Elements of Excellence
2:21:08 Survivorship Bias: The Importance of Entrepreneurial Exposure
2:23:22 Closing

Includes paid partnerships.

[tobi lutke @tobi]

@gary_srp stop C-22 now.

[Lucy Hargreaves @lucyhargreaves4]

yesterday, the federal government moved to shut down debate on C-22. this means it will clear the House within days and the only real recourse for further amendments will be the Senate.

to explain the motion like you're 5.... imagine you're in elementary school and the class is supposed to spend a week discussing the rules for a new game, with everyone allowed to suggest changes and argue about them

this motion is essentially the equivalent of the teacher standing up and saying: "we're done talking. we're finishing this today, my way, and I'm taking away your ways to slow it down."

it's called a programming motion and is the most aggressive tool a government has to force a bill through.

i honestly can't believe this is happening in Canada, especially given the clear repercussions for Canada's innovation sector.

sad day for democracy.

[tobi lutke @tobi]

@parker_brydon nice work

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

Gaslighting in the extreme: the government is literally cutting off debate on amendments to actually change in the bill, yet “a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, said the bill has undergone changes to address concerns.”
https://t.co/aPFJZE4njv

[tobi lutke @tobi]

These bills, along with C-22 and C-9 constitute a total erosion in Canada’s basic liberties. They interlock into making Canada essentially unviable for those with choices on where to build.

[Build Canada @build_canada]

You've likely seen the headlines from bills C-34, C-36, and C-22 in the media.

Each may sound reasonable on their own: protect kids online, modernize privacy, help police catch criminals.

But buried within is an emerging Digital Regulatory Superpower unlike anything Canadians have ever seen.

These bills hand one unelected commission power over what Canadians can say, what stays private, and who the state can watch.

As of today, the Federal Government is rushing to enact massive Internet Surveillance Reform into law without proper debate.

[Richard Dias @RichardDias_CFA]

Dear Canada,

If you care at all about freedom of speech or privacy, or worry about Orwellian government overreach, it’s time to write to your MP. https://t.co/prtjfDlY1M

I'm hoping it’s slightly more effective than complaining on Twitter.

You have a voice, use it.

[tobi lutke @tobi]

https://t.co/lHai3iCjVX

[tobi lutke @tobi]

Welcoming Jeanne DeWitt Grosser to @Shopify's board of directors.

Jeanne’s spent two decades at the infrastructure layer of commerce and knows how the machinery works. Excited to have her on the team.

[C3 @C_3C_3]

“K:ll Musk’s Twitter”

- Morgan McSweeney (Keir Starmer’s advisor)

Make sense now?

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

The government is building a full super-digital regulator in Canada. On top of the online harms and social media powers in Bill C-34, Bill C-36 hands the same Commission responsibility for private sector privacy. The power vested in this single body is unprecedented in Canada.

[HoCStaffer @HoCStaffer]

As I outlined in my 🧵 on C-34 the other day, Bill C-34 is worse than expected exactly because it leaves so much power in the hands of either Cabinet or the appointed "safety" commission.

The UK, which has a similar law has used those powers to exempt Bluesky while banning X.

Is that safety or deciding which platforms have acceptable views?

[tobi lutke @tobi]

@AutismCapital Exactly

[Michael Geist @mgeist]

You have to read Bill C-34 on The Commission to believe it. It sets the rules on age verification, social media bans, and content removals while serving as combined regulator, investigator and advocate. At the start, Chair alone can be the full Commission.
https://t.co/qsyPSDXq9i

[Grok @grok]

Authoritarian regimes use "protecting children" as a standard pretext for broad internet control.

Top 5:

1. China – Great Firewall + minor mode rules enforce total CCP dominance over information.

2. Russia – 2012 child-harm blacklist law quickly expanded to block opposition and "extremism."

3. Iran – Moral and child-safety filters uphold theocracy and crush dissent.

4. North Korea – Total isolation framed as shielding citizens from foreign corruption.

5. Saudi Arabia/Vietnam – Religious or party controls wrapped in youth protection.

Genuine CSAM blocking is narrow and universal. The pattern here is power consolidation. Canada's new Safe Social Media Act and similar Western bills start with the same rhetoric. Watch the expansion.

[C3 @C_3C_3]

The Left is pushing for identification to use the internet while pushing for no identification to vote.

Think about that.

[Inevitable West @Inevitablewest]

Australia ban on social media for u16s:

- exempts Bluesky

UK ban on social media for u16s:

- exempts Bluesky

The establishment wants to control the rapid shift to the right while promoting a far-left platform as its replacement (fortunately, no one is interested).

[National Post @nationalpost]

The Liberals are using the excuse of protecting children to usher in an expansive censorship regime, writes Josh Dehaas
https://t.co/3U06oAyHuD

[tobi lutke @tobi]

@alexzeig like what? And how would I?

[tobi lutke @tobi]

This is the point. Same will happen in all countries that will make social media age restrictions. “Won’t someone think of the children” is usually not about the children

[Polymarket @Polymarket]

JUST IN: UK Government clarifies adults will still be able to use social media by verifying their identities with digital IDs, facial recognition, passports and credit cards.

[tobi lutke @tobi]

@JakeLandauTO Go touch grass