Issue No. 3Week ending Sunday, January 18, 2026725 episodes · 3,189 write-ups
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BusinessFounders Podcast

Tobi Lütke: 21 Years of Building Shopify

With David Senra, Tobi Lütke · Sunday, January 18, 2026

David Senra interviews Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke about his unique approach to company building over 21 years. They discuss Lütke's philosophy of treating companies as engineering projects, the importance of differentiation and high-agency talent, lessons from navigating major crises like COVID-19 and an 80% stock drop, and the role of intuition, books, and AI in entrepreneurial growth. Lütke emphasizes a culture of continuous improvement, challenging orthodoxy, and a deep focus on craft and detail.

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Key takeaways

  • Books provide "cheat codes" for real life, allowing rapid access to accumulated knowledge from others' careers. Read more →
  • View other companies as rivals for inspiration, not competitors for mimicry. Read more →
  • Tobi Lütke views companies as complex technologies, applying engineering principles to organizational design. Read more →
  • Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke demands an unquantifiable "craft and giving a s*" to build exceptional products. Read more →

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