Benjamin Forrest, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized to 960 × 1440, via Wikimedia Commons

Tobi Lütke

Co-founder & CEO, Shopify

German-Canadian programmer and operator who co-founded Shopify and has led its product and technology organization.

Wikipedia fallback

Recommendations sourcedBooks by kept separateBooks about kept separate

Founder Technology Operator E-commerce

0Authored

0About

5Recommended books

Books Tobi Lütke recommends, documented so far

Each book appears once; every source record and quote remains linked to its evidence and the canonical book profile.

Business Management Humor

Parkinson's Law

by C. Northcote Parkinson · 1957

Author signal

C. Northcote Parkinson · Book author

2 source records

such a quick read

Exact quote verified Recommended video Tobi Lütke: The Skills AI Makes More Valuable

We captured the recommendation language from the source.

The Knowledge Project · 2026-09-15 · accessed 2026-09-27

Direct captions around 01:01:54–01:04:23: Lütke names Parkinson's Law among books he returns to and calls it a quick read. Book identity is matched to Open Library work OL722672W.

Open source

Recommended · Official Knowledge Project interview recording · video Source 2026-09-15

one of the books I give to my executives is Parkinson's Law

Exact quote verified Strong recommendation podcast Tobi Lütke: Calm Progress (#152)

We captured the recommendation language from the source.

Farnam Street · Episode #152; date not listed on the transcript page · accessed 2026-09-27

The transcript states that one of the books Lütke gives his executives is Parkinson's Law and calls it an 80-page read. This independent primary source makes the recommendation explicit.

Open source

Strong recommendation · Knowledge Project interview transcript · podcast Source Episode #152; date not listed on the transcript page

History Civilization Patterns

The Lessons of History

by Will Durant & Ariel Durant · 1968

Author signal

Will Durant · Historian

Ariel Durant · Historian

I almost always will mention The Lessons of History

Exact quote verified Recommended video Tobi Lütke: The Skills AI Makes More Valuable

We captured the recommendation language from the source.

The Knowledge Project · 2026-09-15 · accessed 2026-09-27

Direct captions around 01:01:54–01:04:23: Lütke says he almost always mentions The Lessons of History and praises its density and quality for its length. The catalog's existing book record is used.

Open source

Recommended · Official Knowledge Project interview recording · video Source 2026-09-15

Amazon AudibleAffiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission when you buy through some links. Recommendations are included because of the source, not because of the retailer. Details

Business Politics Management

The Managerial Revolution

by James Burnham · 1941

Author signal

James Burnham · Book author

The Managerial Revolution

Exact quote verified Recommended video Tobi Lütke: The Skills AI Makes More Valuable

We captured the recommendation language from the source.

The Knowledge Project · 2026-09-15 · accessed 2026-09-27

Direct captions around 01:01:54–01:04:23 identify The Managerial Revolution as Burnham's first book in the sequence. Book identity and 1941 publication metadata are matched to Open Library work OL3272673W.

Open source

Recommended · Official Knowledge Project interview recording · video Source 2026-09-15

Politics History Political Theory

The Machiavellians

by James Burnham · 1943

Author signal

James Burnham · Book author

unbelievably good

Exact quote verified Strong recommendation video Tobi Lütke: The Skills AI Makes More Valuable

We captured the recommendation language from the source.

The Knowledge Project · 2026-09-15 · accessed 2026-09-27

Direct captions around 01:01:54–01:04:23: Lütke distinguishes The Machiavellians from Burnham's earlier The Managerial Revolution and praises the later book. Work OL3272669W records the 1943 title.

Open source

Strong recommendation · Official Knowledge Project interview recording · video Source 2026-09-15

Philosophy Classics Ethics

Meditations

by Marcus Aurelius

Author signal

Marcus Aurelius · Book author

Documented citation: Meditations

Documented citation Recommended video Tobi Lütke: The Skills AI Makes More Valuable

This source documents the book relationship, but the displayed text is a catalog summary rather than a verbatim quote.

The Knowledge Project · 2026-09-15 · accessed 2026-09-27

Direct captions around 01:01:54–01:04:23: Lütke identifies himself as a Meditations fan, says he keeps copies in several rooms, and describes opening the book at random. The existing work-level title is matched to Open Library OL1317211W.

Open source

Recommended · Official Knowledge Project interview recording · video Source 2026-09-15

Documented mentions and citations

These source-backed rows are useful context, but they are not counted as direct recommendations.

Science Fiction Civilization AI

Foundation

by Isaac Asimov · 1951

Author signal

Isaac Asimov · Science fiction author and biochemist

Foundation series is so good

Exact quote verified Mentioned video Tobi Lütke: The Skills AI Makes More Valuable

We captured the mention language from the source; this is not counted as a direct recommendation.

The Knowledge Project · 2026-09-15 · accessed 2026-09-27

Direct captions around 01:01:54–01:04:23 contain series-level praise. The catalog uses the existing Foundation book record and explicitly preserves the scope distinction.

Open source

Mentioned · Official Knowledge Project interview recording · video Source 2026-09-15

Amazon AudibleAffiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission when you buy through some links. Recommendations are included because of the source, not because of the retailer. Details

Science Fiction China Technology

The Three-Body Problem

by Cixin Liu · 2008

Author signal

Cixin Liu · Science fiction author

Documented citation: The Three-Body Problem

Documented citation Mentioned video Tobi Lütke: The Skills AI Makes More Valuable

This source documents the book relationship, but the displayed text is a catalog summary rather than a verbatim quote.

The Knowledge Project · 2026-09-15 · accessed 2026-09-27

Direct captions around 01:01:54–01:04:23 show Parrish asking about The Three-Body Problem, followed by Lütke describing it positively as recent science fiction. The existing book record is used.

Open source

Mentioned · Official Knowledge Project interview recording · video Source 2026-09-15

Amazon AudibleAffiliate disclosure: We may earn a commission when you buy through some links. Recommendations are included because of the source, not because of the retailer. Details