Shopify founder and CEO Tobi Lütke said pension recipients should lose the vote, endorsed a proposal giving higher-income taxpayers more votes, and called the proposal a “good system.” We disagree—and we can choose where our money goes.
Our ask: Until Shopify clearly rejects income-weighted voting and affirms equal voting rights, consumers and merchants should avoid financially supporting the platform where practical. No harassment. No threats. Just informed, peaceful economic choice.
The exchange began during a discussion about pensions and public decision-making. Lütke posted that pension recipients should be treated as dependants and excluded from voting:
“But now you are a dependent and that means no voting, just like dependents under age.”— Tobi Lütke, X, July 25, 2026 · View the original post
Another user then proposed zero votes for people paying no income tax and additional votes at higher income-tax levels. Lütke replied:
“Good system.”— Tobi Lütke, X, July 26, 2026 · View the original post
When challenged, he elaborated:
“Reward productive people with leverage.”— Tobi Lütke, X, July 26, 2026 · View the original post
In a separate post about Toronto town halls, he described participants as “Retired, Unemployed, Unemployable, and useful idiots.”
Equal voting rights rest on a simple democratic principle: laws govern people equally, so citizens receive an equal voice—not voting power proportional to wealth, tax payments, property, productivity, or corporate status.
Money already provides enormous political advantages: access, lobbying capacity, media reach, campaign influence, and time. Giving wealthy people additional votes would add formal political power to those existing advantages.
A citizen is not less governed because they have less taxable income. They still live under criminal law, housing policy, health policy, education policy, taxation, environmental decisions, and every other act of government.
Voting is citizenship—not a loyalty program for the tax system.
Shopify often operates behind independent brands, so a responsible boycott takes a little care. Ask first. Redirect the purchase where possible. Be civil to workers and small merchants.
Look in the footer for “Powered by Shopify,” watch for Shop Pay at checkout, or inspect page links/source for Shopify domains such as cdn.shopify.com and paths such as /cdn/shop/. These are indicators, not infallible proof; Shopify services can sometimes appear on non-Shopify sites.
Use a polite, factual question: “Before I order, can you confirm whether your storefront or checkout is operated by Shopify?” Do not accuse staff or demand that they defend a CEO’s statements.
Ask whether the same merchant accepts an in-person purchase, phone order, invoice, e-transfer, wholesale marketplace order, or another checkout that does not pay Shopify transaction or platform fees. Payment methods carry their own fees, so ask the merchant what actually helps.
If there is no non-Shopify route, buy an equivalent from a local shop, co-operative, manufacturer, craft market, or independent merchant using another platform. Verify the replacement rather than assuming every small storefront is independent of Shopify.
Send a concise note explaining that equal voting rights are a purchasing criterion and that you will return if the company changes platforms or Shopify’s leadership clearly affirms equal suffrage. Do not spam, review-bomb, threaten, or target employees.
Where practical, avoid Shop and Shop Pay, remove saved payment information through your own account controls, and unsubscribe from marketing you no longer want. Do not delete records you may need for returns, warranties, taxes, or disputes.
A values-based migration should not destroy a small business. Plan it, preserve your records, test it, and then move.
Shopify’s product-export instructionsKeep your domain registered independently where possible. Inventory every app, integration, subscription, theme dependency, email flow, tracking tag, and payment method.
Export products, customers, orders, discounts, gift-card obligations, content, images, reports, and tax/accounting records. Some information may require an app or API export. Handle customer data securely and lawfully.
Compare platforms on data ownership, recurring cost, payment independence, accessibility, SEO, support, and exit options—not slogans. Self-hosted software offers control but also creates maintenance and security responsibilities.
Run test purchases, refunds, tax calculations, shipping, mobile checkout, email receipts, analytics, accessibility, and backups. Preserve URL paths or create redirects before switching DNS.
Confirm the new store works, required records are retained, payouts and disputes are settled, and contractual obligations are understood. Then cancel services you no longer need.
Lütke on pension recipients and voting
Original X post, July 25, 2026.
Lütke: “Good system.”
Response to a proposal for votes weighted by income tax, July 26, 2026.
Lütke: “Reward productive people with leverage”
Follow-up about the weighted-vote proposal, July 26, 2026.
Lütke on Toronto town-hall participants
Original X post, July 25, 2026.
blogTO: Ontario billionaire under fire…
Natalia Buia, July 27, 2026.
Daily Hive: Canadian Shopify CEO dragged for voter comment
Contemporary report preserving the exchange and context.
Shopify Help: Exporting products
Official instructions for merchant data export.
I will avoid Shopify and Shopify-owned consumer services where practical, support merchants through alternative channels, and remain civil and factual while doing it.