description Tobi Lutke Overview
Tobias "Tobi" Lutke is a German-born Canadian entrepreneur, software developer, and co-founder of Shopify. The company emerged from an online snowboard store that Lutke and his collaborators built in Ottawa, after they developed their own commerce software to operate it. Shopify now provides hosted tools through which merchants can create online storefronts, process transactions, and manage sales, while Lutke has served as its chief executive officer.
insights Ranking position
Tobi Lutke ranks #27 of 170 in the Entrepreneur ranking, behind John Collison, ahead of Howard Schultz.
help Tobi Lutke FAQ
What snowboard store led Tobi Lutke to create Shopify?
Lutke, Scott Lake, and Daniel Weinand launched an online snowboard shop called Snowdevil in Ottawa. Dissatisfied with existing commerce software, Lutke built the store's system himself, and that software became the foundation of Shopify.
Was Tobi Lutke a programmer before becoming Shopify's CEO?
Yes, Lutke trained as a programmer in Germany and worked with software from a young age. Shopify's early product direction came directly from his experience building tools for the Snowdevil store.
When did Shopify launch as a commerce platform?
Shopify launched as a hosted commerce product in 2006 after the founders shifted away from selling snowboards. The company later went public in 2015 on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges.
Why is Shopify based in Ottawa if Tobi Lutke was born in Germany?
Lutke moved from Germany to Canada and settled in Ottawa, where Snowdevil and Shopify were developed. He later became a Canadian citizen while continuing to lead Shopify from Canada.
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