lõtke

Lütke is a German-born Canadian entrepreneur and programmer best known as the co-founder and chief executive officer of Shopify, a leading cloud-based e-commerce platform that enables merchants to create and run online stores. Born in Germany, he later moved to Canada, where he built a career in software development.

In 2004, Lütke co-founded Snowdevils, an online snowboard shop, with Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake. Dissatisfied with available e-commerce tools, they built their own solution, which evolved into Shopify. The platform officially launched in 2006, offering merchants a way to design, manage, and grow online stores.

Shopify grew rapidly and became a publicly traded company in 2015, listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange. As CEO, Lütke has steered the company through rapid growth, product expansion, and a shift toward software-as-a-service for small and medium-sized businesses, along with strategic acquisitions and international expansion.

Lütke is noted for his focus on product quality, engineering culture, and a long-term platform vision. He is a prominent figure in the Canadian tech scene and in the broader e-commerce industry, where Shopify’s platform remains a central tool for many merchants worldwide.