Podcasts Education Self-Improvement Conversations with Tyler Tobi Lutke on Creating Shopify for Americans as a German in Canada

Tobi Lutke on Creating Shopify for Americans as a German in Canada

Published: Sept. 18, 2024, noon

Tobi Lu\u0308tke is the CEO and co-founder of Shopify. 20 years ago, he was just a German coder who emigrated to Canada to launch some ecommerce platform with another German. Now he\u2019s the world-renowned thought and tech leader who has revolutionized online shopping for billions. He\u2019s also the creator of many open-source libraries like Liquid, Active Merchant, and the Typo weblog engine.

Tyler and Tobi hop from Germany to Canada to America to discuss a range of topics like how outsiders make good coders, learning in meetings by saying wrong things, having one-on-ones with your kids, the positives of venting, German craftsmanship vs. American agility, why German schooling made him miserable, why there aren\u2019t more German tech giants, untranslatable words, the dividing line of between Northern and Southern Germany, why other countries shouldn\u2019t compare themselves to the US, Canada\u2019s lack of exports and brands, ice skating to work in Ottawa, how VR and AI will change retailing, why he expects to be \u201cterribly embarrassed\u201d when looking back at companies in the 2020s, why The Lean Startup is bad for retailers, how fantasy novels teach business principles, what he's learning next, and more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links,\xa0or watch the\xa0full video.

Recorded July 23rd, 2024.

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