Tobias Lütke
German-Canadian entrepreneur and co-founder and CEO of Shopify, the e-commerce platform powering millions of merchants worldwide. A former programmer and snowboarder, he built Shopify from a snowboard shop to a $150 billion public company.
Tobias Lütke's Bio
Tobias "Tobi" Lütke is the co-founder and CEO of Shopify, one of the world's largest e-commerce platforms.
Born in Koblenz, Germany in 1981, he grew up dyslexic and struggled with traditional schooling, eventually leaving after the 10th grade to pursue a software engineering apprenticeship at Siemens.
In the early 2000s, Lütke moved to Canada, where he and his wife Fiona settled in Ottawa. Intending to start an online snowboard shop called Snowdevil, he discovered that existing e-commerce software was inadequate. He built his own storefront using Ruby on Rails, and when other merchants asked to use his software, he and co-founders Scott Lake and Daniel Weinand pivoted to launch Shopify in 2006.
The early years were lean: Lütke lived rent-free with his in-laws, the team worked from coffee shops, and the company nearly ran out of money multiple times. A $400,000 angel investment in 2007 and a $7 million Series A in 2010 kept Shopify alive. Lütke initially resisted becoming CEO, preferring to focus on technology, but ultimately took the role and led the company through its 2015 IPO at a $1.27 billion valuation.
Today, Shopify powers over 5 million merchants in 175 countries, processes hundreds of billions in gross merchandise volume annually, and is valued at over $150 billion. Lütke is known for his technical depth, long-term thinking, and insistence that Shopify's success belongs to its merchants, not the platform itself. He is also an active investor and racing driver.
Career Timeline
1981 — Born in Koblenz, Germany
Tobias Lütke is born in Koblenz, Germany. He later describes growing up dyslexic and finding traditional education ill-suited to his learning style.
2000 — Moved to Canada
Lütke moves to Ottawa, Canada, after meeting his future wife Fiona on a snowboarding trip to Whistler. He begins working remotely for a German startup while navigating Canadian immigration.
2004 — Founded Snowdevil
Unable to find suitable e-commerce software for his snowboard shop, Lütke builds his own online store using Ruby on Rails. The Snowdevil shop launches with co-founder Scott Lake.
2006 — Launched Shopify
Lütke, Lake, and Daniel Weinand pivot from selling snowboards to selling the e-commerce platform itself, launching Shopify as a subscription-based service.
2015 — Shopify IPO
Shopify goes public on the New York Stock Exchange at a valuation of $1.27 billion, marking one of the most successful tech IPOs of the decade.
2024 — Shopify Surpasses $150B Valuation
Shopify processes over $292 billion in gross merchandise volume annually and serves more than 5 million merchants across 175 countries.
