Tobias Lütke
 Tobias Lütke    ( billionaire, businessman) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 16, 1981 Koblenz, West Germany |
| Nationality | • Canadian • German |
Billionaire founder and CEO of Shopify, invited to the 2022 Bilderberg. Co-investor in Breakthrough Energy Ventures with Bill Gates. | |
Tobias "Tobi" Lütke is the is a German-Canadian billionaire founder and CEO of Shopify, an e-commerce company based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.[1][2][3][4] In 2016 Lütke joined as a new investor in Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a "clean-tech" fund led by Bill Gates. He attended the 2022 Bilderberg meeting.
Early life
Lütke was born in Koblenz,[5] Germany in 1980.[6] Lütke dropped out of school and entered an apprenticeship program at the Koblenzer Carl-Benz-School to become a computer programmer after tenth grade.[7][8] He moved from Germany to Canada in 2003.[9]
Career
In 2004, Lütke, along with his partners, Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake, launched Snowdevil, an online snowboard shop. Lütke built a new e-commerce platform for the site[10]. Soon after, the Snowdevil founders shifted their focus from snowboards to e-commerce and launched Shopify in 2006.[11][12]He owns 7% of Shopify, which went public in 2015.[13]
The Globe and Mail named Lütke "CEO of the Year" in November 2014.[14]
In 2016 Lütke joined as a new investor in Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a "clean-tech" fund led by Bill Gates.[15]
On January 31, 2022, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase announced Lütke would join its board of directors.[16]
In 2022, his Thistledown Foundation pledged Canadian $5 million to Gavi, to ensure equitable access to Covid jabs.[17]
In April 2025, he announced a prioritizing of AI instead of new hires at Shopify.[18]
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/2022 | 2 June 2022 | 5 June 2022 | Washington DC Mandarin Oriental Hotel US | The 68th Bilderberg Meeting, held in Washington DC, after an unprecedented two year hiatus during which a lot of the Bilderberg regulars were busy managing COVID-19 |
References
- ↑ http://thisweekinstartups.com/shopify-ceo-tobias-lutke/
- ↑ https://ottawacitizen.com/business/local-business/historic-valley-resort-opinicon-bought-and-will-be-restored
- ↑ https://www.startupcfo.ca/2013/06/founder-to-ceo-tobias-lutke-shopify/
- ↑ https://tobi.lutke.com/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20171130212635/https://www.spiegel.de/karriere/tobias-luetke-shopify-gruender-wird-vom-schlechten-schueler-zum-milliardaer-a-1180974.html
- ↑ https://www.happyscribe.com/public/the-knowledge-project-with-shane-parrish/41-tobi-lutke-the-trust-battery
- ↑ http://www.rhein-zeitung.de/region/regionale-wirtschaft_artikel,-Shopify-Koblenzer-revolutioniert-Onlineshops-_arid,1145739.html#.VMu70WjF864
- ↑ http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY_-_Exceptional_-_Americas_-_July_-_December_2014/$FILE/EY-Exceptional-Americas-July-December-2014.pdf
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/profile/tobi-lutke/
- ↑ http://www.obj.ca/Technology/1969-12-31/article-2039129/Shopify-picks-up-7M-in-venture-funding/1%7Ctitle=Shopify picks up $7M in venture funding
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100506125942/http://www.obj.ca/Other/Special-Reports/2010-05-03/article-1047045/FASTEST-GROWING-COMPANIES:-
- ↑ http://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/inhalt.onlineplattform-shopify-auf-der-ueberholspur.1f7ff92b-c591-4166-b1c9-3a9b1abfac93.html
- ↑ https://financialpost.com/investing/shopify-shareholders-approve-tobi-lutke-founders-share
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20191231114352/http://www.nowdigitalnetwork.com/shopifys-tobias-lutke-crowned-ceo-of-2014/
- ↑ https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/bill-gates-led-clean-tech-fund-adds-new-billionaire-investors
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220131234723/https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/shopify-tobi-lutke-coinbase-crypto-1.6334084
- ↑ https://www.gavi.org/investing-gavi/funding/donor-profiles/thistledown-foundation
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/douglaslaney/2025/04/09/selling-ai-strategy-to-employees-shopify-ceos-manifesto/
