Tobi Lütke

Quotes are word for word from the source.

• Enabling world class

  “I think a lot of our success has been due to just me and my co-founder basically allowing everyone to go for world class.”

  Our noteTobi discusses how Shopify overcame the low ambition culture in Canada.

• Belief in future

  “You've got to believe that the future is going to be better than today to want to make the future come sooner”

  Our noteTobi emphasizes that optimism is the load-bearing pillar of entrepreneurship.

• Useful ignorance

  “This is also why ignorance is usually useful because you should be ignorant to the low odds in the beginning”

  Our noteTobi explains why being unaware of the difficulty can help founders start.

• The risk of improvement

  “Verschlimmbesserung is such a good word. What that means is, by trying to improve something, you made it worse. And maybe it's also born out of pessimism about the future, but it's just so wonderful because you see it often.”

  Our noteTobi discusses German words that describe complex situations better than English equivalents.

• Updating classic knowledge

  “I'm actually a fan of rewriting books every - I don't know - 25, 50 years for two generations down the line because they just get hard to access.”

  Our noteTobi talks about why he prefers some English translations of German philosophy over the originals.

• Innovation vs Commercialization

  “Canada loves to have a eureka moment, but it's seen as a low-status thing to then go and try to build a business around it, which is probably amazing from the perspective of our neighbors, [laughs] but probably not so good for the wealth of a country.”

  Our noteTobi discusses why Canada struggles to turn its scientific breakthroughs into global products.

• Bullish on AI

  “I have an extremely bullish view on AI , specifically around utilitarian value. I think there are enormous quantities for company building. There's enormous advantage for product creation.”

  Our noteTobi discusses the potential of AI to assist in building companies and creating products.

• Goal oriented software

  “I think goal-oriented software is actually what we always wanted because that actually meets people where they are. It's how you work with colleagues together, too.”

  Our noteTobi discusses moving away from complex toggles toward software that helps users achieve specific goals.

• Systems thinking leadership

  “If you're an engineer running a company, I think you come pre-equipped with ideas like systems thinking instead of World War II organizational structures.”

  Our noteTobi explains why engineering backgrounds are useful for managing complex adaptive systems like companies.

• Long term vision

  “I think the best companies end up following a long-term vision and a long-term mission. I think that's part of it.”

  Our noteTobi emphasizes the importance of staying true to a mission rather than just reacting.