BusinessPolitical leaning: Center-rightProfile last reviewed: 2026-07-30
Tobias Lütke
CEO of Shopify
Tech founder who opposed Canada's retaliatory tariffs as the wrong choice, urged securing the border and cracking down on fentanyl dens to meet Trump's stated terms, and pivoted Shopify's Shop app toward buy-local features for merchants caught in the trade war.
Tobias (Tobi) Lütke, Shopify's founder-CEO, broke from much of Canadian business and political consensus in February 2025 by calling Ottawa's counter-tariffs simply the wrong choice. He argued America would shrug while Canada declined, said Trump's border and fentanyl demands were not crazy even from an unpopular source, and announced buy-local Shop features as a merchant-facing response.
Basis for the leaning assessment
Editorial estimate; community votes and AI should override. Market-liberal and U.S.-integrationist on trade, hawkish on border enforcement relative to Canadian progressives — tech-libertarian pragmatist rather than partisan conservative.
Current Stances
Stances are editorial interpretations, always shown with the statements and actions they rest on.
Trade & Tariffsobserved 2025-02-01 – 2025-02-03
Oppose Canadian retaliatory tariffs; negotiate via compliance and integration
Lütke argues hitting back will not work against a larger U.S. economy, will devastate Canadian small businesses, and was the wrong choice versus better options.
Supporting statements & actions (3)
2025-02-01Social post
America will shrug it off. Canada will decline. It's simply the wrong choice in a possibility space where much better options would have been available.
X post after Ottawa announced retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods in response to Trump's 25% levies; Globe reported Lütke called the Canadian response 'simply the wrong choice'.
Rare public break by a top TSX CEO against Canada's tariff response.
2025-02-01Social post
Action has to be judged based on what it leads to, not how good it sounds or feels. Leadership is about doing what's right, not what is popular. And hitting back will not lead to anything good.
Same X thread criticizing Trudeau's counter-tariff announcement on $30 billion of U.S. goods.
Tech & Party Politicsobserved 2025-02-01 – 2025-02-02
Tech CEO intervenes for U.S.–Canada commercial peace and merchant tools
Lütke used Shopify's platform prominence to attack Ottawa's trade politics and ship buy-local Shop features as a private-sector answer to nationalist consumer campaigns.
Supporting statements & actions (2)
2025-02-01Social post
America will shrug it off. Canada will decline. It's simply the wrong choice in a possibility space where much better options would have been available.
X post after Ottawa announced retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods in response to Trump's 25% levies; Globe reported Lütke called the Canadian response 'simply the wrong choice'.
Rare public break by a top TSX CEO against Canada's tariff response.
2025-02-02Social post
I love Canada and want it to thrive. I built Canada's biggest tech company here because I know it's a special place.
X posts accompanying Lütke's commitment to roll out buy-local features in the Shop app for Canada, the U.S. and Mexico after criticizing retaliatory tariffs.
Shopify followed the critique with product changes to help merchants ride the buy-Canadian wave.
Immigration & Bordersobserved 2025-02-01 – 2025-02-02
Secure border and crack down on fentanyl dens as trade prerequisites
Lütke treats Trump's border-control and fentanyl-crackdown terms as legitimate Canadian priorities that should have been met instead of retaliatory tariffs.
Supporting statements & actions (1)
2025-02-01Social post
Canada thrives when it works with America together. Win by helping America win. Trump believes that Canada has not held its side of the bargain, and he set terms to prove that we still work together: get the borders under control and crack down on fentanyl dens. These are things that every Canadian wants its government to do, too. These are not crazy demands, even if they came from an unpopular source.
X commentary defending Trump's stated border and fentanyl conditions while slamming Ottawa for not preventing the trade war.
Critics said Lütke took Trump's border narrative at face value; allies praised candour from Canada's biggest tech CEO.
Goals
Short-term
Stop Canadian counter-tariffs from deepening the trade war
ActivePersuade Ottawa that hitting back is the wrong choice and that better options exist than reciprocal levies.
Declared: 2025-02-01Source ↗
Meet border and fentanyl terms Trump set
ActiveGet borders under control and crack down on fentanyl dens as the path to proving Canada still works with America.
Declared: 2025-02-01Source ↗
Ship buy-local features in Shop
ActiveRoll out region-specific buy-local tools so merchants and consumers can support domestic sellers during the tariff fight.
Declared: 2025-02-02Source ↗
Long-term
None recorded
Consistency Tracker
Does each new statement or decision square with the record? Verdicts are not accusations: both sides of the record are presented so readers can judge for themselves.
Consistent
Earlier statement / action
2025-02-01Social post
America will shrug it off. Canada will decline. It's simply the wrong choice in a possibility space where much better options would have been available.
X post after Ottawa announced retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods in response to Trump's 25% levies; Globe reported Lütke called the Canadian response 'simply the wrong choice'.
Rare public break by a top TSX CEO against Canada's tariff response.
Later statement / action
2025-02-01Social post
Action has to be judged based on what it leads to, not how good it sounds or feels. Leadership is about doing what's right, not what is popular. And hitting back will not lead to anything good.
Same X thread criticizing Trudeau's counter-tariff announcement on $30 billion of U.S. goods.
Lütke's weekend posts form one argument: retaliation feels good but fails, America shrugs, Canada declines. Supporters call it consequentialist leadership; critics say a billionaire CEO asked Canada to absorb U.S. punishment without reciprocal tools.
Most-Cited Sources from Voterscommunity reading list
Articles readers attached to their poll votes as evidence. Only pages cited independently by two or more voters are listed.
- 1betakit.com/shopify-ceo-commits-to-buy-local-features-for-shop-app-after-criticizing-canadas-tariff-response ↗
Cited by 9 voters
Liberal 3Conservative 6 - 2www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/international/2025/02/03/hitting-back-will-not-lead-to-anything-good-shopify-ceo-criticizes-canadas-response-to-us-tariffs ↗
Cited by 7 voters
Liberal 2Conservative 5 - 3
Most-Discussed Moments
The statements and actions that set social media on fire — top 3, in chronological order. Every entry links to its source.
- 2025-02-01Social post
America will shrug it off. Canada will decline. It's simply the wrong choice in a possibility space where much better options would have been available.
X post after Ottawa announced retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods in response to Trump's 25% levies; Globe reported Lütke called the Canadian response 'simply the wrong choice'.
Rare public break by a top TSX CEO against Canada's tariff response.
- 2025-02-01Social post
Canada thrives when it works with America together. Win by helping America win. Trump believes that Canada has not held its side of the bargain, and he set terms to prove that we still work together: get the borders under control and crack down on fentanyl dens. These are things that every Canadian wants its government to do, too. These are not crazy demands, even if they came from an unpopular source.
X commentary defending Trump's stated border and fentanyl conditions while slamming Ottawa for not preventing the trade war.
Critics said Lütke took Trump's border narrative at face value; allies praised candour from Canada's biggest tech CEO.
Timeline of Statements & Actions5 records, newest first
2025-02-02Social post
I love Canada and want it to thrive. I built Canada's biggest tech company here because I know it's a special place.
X posts accompanying Lütke's commitment to roll out buy-local features in the Shop app for Canada, the U.S. and Mexico after criticizing retaliatory tariffs.
Shopify followed the critique with product changes to help merchants ride the buy-Canadian wave.
2025-02-01Social post
These tariffs are going to be devastating to so many people's lives and small businesses.
Part of Lütke's Saturday-night X response to the federal counter-tariff announcement.
2025-02-01Social post
Canada thrives when it works with America together. Win by helping America win. Trump believes that Canada has not held its side of the bargain, and he set terms to prove that we still work together: get the borders under control and crack down on fentanyl dens. These are things that every Canadian wants its government to do, too. These are not crazy demands, even if they came from an unpopular source.
X commentary defending Trump's stated border and fentanyl conditions while slamming Ottawa for not preventing the trade war.