When tech execs bend the ear, do the feds bend the knee?
OTTAWA—Who does the Carney government listen to?
Canadian tech darling CEO Tobias Lütke recently caused an uproar on Twitter that caught the attention of Fortune magazine, which reported: “Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke, whose company commands a market capitalization near $154-billion, told his social media followers this week that a tax-tiered voting system—one that would strip voting rights from anyone who pays no income tax—would be a ‘good system.’” Um … what?
To be fair, this is nothing new for tech. They have been licking the soles of the far right for years and Shopify is no different. Lütke has paraded the libertarian-to-fascism starter pack all over his Twitter account: from citing free speech in 2017 when on the receiving end of a backlash against Shopify for hosting Breitbart, a known right-wing outlet that gave rise to United States President Donald Trump; to anti-wokeness, which apparently means an ick for caring about people other than yourself. CBC’s Front Burner podcast devoted an episode to talking about Canadian tech’s right-wing drift, and specifically named Lütke as a frontrunner in this broader characterization.
Access to microprocessor knees restores independence and eases pressure on the Canadian healthcare system
The concern here is not necessarily about his views; rather, the problem is how much power he has to turn those views into public policy. Last year, Lütke was instrumental in forming a consortium of........
