Tobi Lütke

Shopify created a special founder share allowing Lütke to retain 40 % of voting rights while certain conditions are met, even if his economic ownership changes. The structure was criticised for permanently strengthening a founder's control over a listed company.

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Directly implicated

Lütke endorsed on social media a proposal to grant more votes to people paying more income tax, potentially several votes each, and also described retirees dependent on public pensions as "dependents" who should not vote. The remarks sparked a fierce controversy over political equality.

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Following the announcement of US tariffs against Canada, Lütke criticised the Canadian government's retaliatory tariffs, considered some demands by the Trump administration "not crazy" and argued that escalation would harm Canada more. His remarks sparked intense debate in Canada.

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Personally implicated

In a publicly released memo, Lütke instructed Shopify teams to treat artificial intelligence use as a baseline expectation, incorporate it into performance reviews and demonstrate why AI could not meet a need before requesting additional staff.

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After scaling Shopify for sustained post-pandemic e-commerce growth, Lütke acknowledged that the bet had not developed as expected. Shopify cut approximately 10 % of its workforce in 2022 and a further approximately 20 % in 2023, alongside the sale of its logistics business.

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Reports on Shopify's internal culture described tensions surrounding discussions of diversity and racism, notably after a discussion channel was made read-only during a sensitive debate. Former and current employees criticised the leadership style and the room allowed for internal dissent.

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Short seller Citron Research accused Shopify of overstating its merchants' earnings prospects and operating a model comparable to a "get-rich-quick scheme", triggering a sharp fall in its share price. Lütke responded by calling the allegations "preposterous" and Andrew Left a "short-selling troll".

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Faced with a campaign demanding that Shopify stop hosting Breitbart's store, Tobi Lütke defended the principle that the platform should not remove a lawful merchant on the basis of its opinions. The position prompted thousands of messages and a #DeleteShopify campaign.

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