Shopify: Tobias Lütke. How a snowboarder built a $150 billion business (2019)

In this episode of How I Built This, Guy Raz revisits his conversation with Toby Lutke, co-founder and CEO of Shopify. Lutke shares the story of how he moved from Germany to Canada with nothing but an ambition to sell snowboards online. The early stages of his life were marked by a struggle with learning disabilities, but a passion for programming led him to create an internet-based snowboard business called Snow Devil in 2004. However, due to a lack of suitable software, Lutke eventually pivoted to developing e-commerce software that would later become Shopify. As economic conditions shifted during the 2008 financial crisis, what seemed like a disaster for many turned out to be a boon for Shopify, as more people sought to start their own online businesses. Lutke discusses the challenges he faced as a CEO despite the company's success and the valuable insights gained throughout his entrepreneurial journey. Today, Shopify powers countless e-commerce sites, and Lutke emphasizes the role of luck and timing in his extraordinary rise.