My guest today is Shopify co-founder and CEO Tobi Lütke. We discuss the differences between founders and professional managers, how he’s scaled with Shopify, the constant fight against bureaucracy, how he thinks about innovation in a large company, and how he manages to keep his head when everyone else is losing theirs.

A coder at heart who emigrated from Germany to Canada two decades ago, Lütke co-founded the e-commerce giant Shopify in Ottawa in 2006. The Globe and Mail named Lütke "CEO of the Year" in November 2014, and in May 2021 the company reported that it had more than 1.7 million businesses in approximately 175 countries using its platform. As of July 2022, Shopify is among the top 20 largest publicly traded Canadian companies by market capitalization, and the company’s total revenue for 2021 was $4.611 billion. Lütke previously appeared on Episode 41 of The Knowledge Project.

--

Want even more? Supporting Members get early access, hand-edited transcripts, member-only episodes, and so much more. Learn more.

Every Sunday, our Brain Food newsletter gives you a mental edge in 5 minutes with timeless insights you can use. Add it to your inbox.

Follow Shane on Twitter.

Our Sponsors:

MetaLab: Helping the world’s top companies design, build, and ship amazing products and services.

Aeropress: Press your perfect cup, every time.

House of Macadamias: Nourish your daily routine, and nurture your lifestyle.