Hello MCJ Members,
This is the first members-only episode, just for you! I hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much for becoming members, and supporting our efforts. We are working hard to make the MCJ membership experience truly exceptional, to provide each of you strong ROI on your individual membership, and to give all of us more (and better) picks and shovels to have a greater impact on addressing the problem of climate change together. This is just the beginning!
Jason
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Today's guest is Tobi Lütke, CEO & Founder of Shopify.
Shopify as a Canadian e-commerce company with more than 6,000 employees. Its mission is to make commerce better for everyone, so businesses can focus on what they do best: building and selling their products. I was excited about this episode for a few reasons. This is our first members only episode and I couldn't think of a more exciting guest than Tobi to kick off the bonus content; in addition, Shopify is an important company that is not just a huge financial success, but also a company that's deeply committed to purpose. I've heard Tobi talk before about how he wants to make sure that Shopify is a company that's around in a hundred years and that the planet is as well. And it’s this urgent sense of purpose which is what led him to discover the importance of tackling climate change. While he will freely admit that he’s not an expert on climate change, Tobi is a good example of somebody who understands that, as a leader, it's important to care about mission and impact as much as profit. Moreover, he believes there are things that his company and the millions of customers it serves can do to do their part.
Shopify recently rolled out a sustainability fund where they committed to spending at least $5 million USD annually to fight for our environment. While it’s just a start, I think Tobi is a good example of how you can come in as a learner, find a way to have an impact and then increase that impact over time.
Enjoy the show!
You can find me on twitter @jjacobs22 or @mcjpod and email at info@myclimatejourney.co, where I encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.
In today’s episode, we cover:
What is Shopify
What are its values
Tobi’s thoughts on consumerism
Tobi’s view that companies need to think of the world holistically
Shopify’s journey and what it discovered purchasing carbon credits
The misaligned incentives caused by poor quality carbon credits
Tobi’s personal journey in learning about climate change and taking action on it
The need to reform capitalism and the mechanisms to do so
Where Shopify is currently on its climate journey
Tobi’s reasons for optimism and what he sees as the key solutions
The need to reframe solutions beyond carbon sequestration and offsets
Why companies need to take responsibility for climate externalities
Links to topics discussed in this episode:
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