# Tobias Lütke

> Tobias “Tobi” Lütke is the German-Canadian co-founder and CEO of Shopify. A programming apprenticeship in Koblenz preceded the software he built for Snowdevil, an Ottawa snowboard shop, and the launch of Shopify in 2006. He remains active in open-source software, serves on Coinbase’s board, and competes in IMSA prototype racing.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at Shopify
- **Organizations:** Shopify, Coinbase, TDS Racing, Era Motorsport, BOG Koblenz (Siemens subsidiary)
- **From:** Koblenz, Germany
- **Nationality:** German-Canadian
- **Education:** Fachinformatiker (vocational computer programming qualification), Carl-Benz-School, Koblenz; apprenticeship at BOG Koblenz
- **Known for:** Co-founded Shopify and has led it as CEO since 2008., Named The Globe and Mail’s CEO of the Year in 2014., Created and contributed to open-source commerce software, including Liquid.

## Career timeline

- **Age 16** — Left school and entered a computer programming apprenticeship in Koblenz.
- **2004** — Built software for the Snowdevil online snowboard shop with co-founders Scott Lake and Daniel Weinand.
- **2006** — The founding team launched Shopify as a commerce platform.
- **2008** — Became Shopify CEO, following his role as CTO.
- **2015** — Shopify went public.
- **2022** — Joined Coinbase’s board of directors in February.
- **2023** — Announced a roughly 20% workforce reduction and the sale of Shopify Logistics to Flexport.
- **2025** — Competed in IMSA LMP2 with Era Motorsport; published an AI-use memo in April.
- **2026** — Listed in TDS Racing’s No. 11 lineup at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Shopify and has led it as CEO since 2008.
- Named The Globe and Mail’s CEO of the Year in 2014.
- Created and contributed to open-source commerce software, including Liquid.
- Shopify reported US$115.567 billion in merchant GMV and US$3.583 billion in revenue for Q2 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Shopify reported Q2 revenue of US$3.583 billion, up 34% year over year, and merchant GMV of US$115.567 billion.
- **2026-01** — IMSA’s Rolex 24 entry list named Lütke in TDS Racing’s Shopify-sponsored No. 11 ORECA LMP2 07.
- **2025-11** — TDS Racing announced Lütke in its refreshed 2026 LMP2 lineup.
- **2025-04** — Published an internal memo establishing AI use as an employee expectation and requiring teams to consider AI before requesting more headcount.

## Links

- Website: https://tobi.lutke.com/
- LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/tobiaslutke
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/tobi
- GitHub: https://github.com/tobi

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tobias-lutke
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11