Tobias Lütke | |
|---|---|
 Lütke in 2019 | |
| Born | 1980 (age 44–45)[1][2] |
| Nationality |
|
| Other names | Tobi Lütke |
| Occupation | CEO ofShopify |
| Spouse | Fiona McKean |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | tobi |
Tobias Lütke (born 1980[1]) is a German-Canadian entrepreneur andracing driver who is the co-founder andCEO ofShopify, an e-commerce company based inOttawa, Ontario, Canada.[4][5][6][7] He has been part of the core team of theRuby on Rails framework and has created open source libraries such as Active Merchant.[8] As of 2022, he was the 11th richest Canadian.[9] As of February 2025, his net worth was US$11.1 billion.[10] He competes in the2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship driving inLMP2 for Era Motorsport.[11]
Lütke was born in Koblenz,[12] Germany in 1980.[1] He received a Schneider CPC (German brand of theAmstrad Colour Personal Computer distributed by theSchneider Rundfunkwerke AG) from his parents at the age of six.[13][12] By 11 or 12, he began rewriting the code of the games he played and modifying computer hardware as a hobby. Lütke dropped out of school and entered an apprenticeship program at the Koblenzer Carl-Benz-School to become a computer programmer after tenth grade.[14][15] He moved from Germany to Canada in 2003.[10]
Lütke citesJohn Carmack's.plan-files from the mid-1990's as "making a huge impression"[16] on him as a teenager and calls them a "amaster class insystems design".[17]
In 2004, Lütke, along with his partners, Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake, launched Snowdevil, an online snowboard shop.[5]Lütke built a newe-commerce platform for the site, usingRuby on Rails.[18][15][19] Soon after, the Snowdevil founders shifted their focus from snowboards to e-commerce and launchedShopify in 2006.[20][21]He currently owns 7% of Shopify, which went public in 2015.[22] Despite controlling a minority of the shares outstanding, he controls a 40% voting interest in Shopify due to a two-class voting structure.[23]
The Globe and Mail named Lütke "CEO of the Year" in November 2014.[24] Lütke was presented with theMeritorious Service Cross on November 5, 2018, for his work in supporting the growth of the Canadian technology industry.[25]
On September 8, 2021, it was announced that Lütke, along with former and current Shopify top executives and Celtic House Venture Partners, invested $3 million in Creative Layer, "a global personalized print-on-demand platform for managing Shopify orders, proofs, fulfillment, and team members".[26]
On January 31, 2022, cryptocurrency exchangeCoinbase announced Lütke would join its board of directors.[27]
In 2025, Lütke criticized the Canadian federal government for its decision to impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States after PresidentDonald Trump enacted25% tariffs on Canadian goods.[28] Lütke sided with the U.S. over Canada and defended Trump's decision to put tariffs on Canada, saying, "Trump believes that Canada has not held its side of the bargain, and he set terms to prove that we still work together: get the borders under control and crack down on fentanyl dens."[28]
Lütke has faced criticism over Shopify's platform content policies and their enforcement. The company has historically defended free speech in commerce, including hosting controversial clients like the far-right online tabloid Breitbart in 2017.[29]
In 2025, Lütke entered the2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship to compete in theLMP2 class driving for Era Motorsport alongside co-driversPaul-Loup Chatin,Ryan Dalziel, andDavid Heinemeier Hansson.[11][30][7]
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HSR Prototype Challenge presented byIMSA - Amateur Class | TWOth. Autosport | 6 | 3 | N/A | N/A | 5 | 44 | 1st |
| 2025 | IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 | Era Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 280* | 5th* |
* Season still in progress.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Era Motorsport | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 LV8 | DAY 5 | SEB | WGL | MOS | ELK | IMS | ATL | 5th* | 280* |
* Season still in progress.
| Year | Class | No | Team | Car | Co-drivers | Laps | Position | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | LMP2 | 18 |  Era Motorsport | Oreca 07 |  Paul-Loup Chatin Ryan Dalziel David Heinemeier Hansson | 764 | 12th | 5th |
{{cite web}}:Check|archive-url= value (help)| International | |
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| People | |
