Skip to content

Shopify CTO Allan Leinwand steps down for 'personal reason,' Lütke to take over R&D

OTTAWA — Shopify Inc. says chief technology officer Allan Leinwand will be departing the company with chief executive Tobi Lütke to take on some of his responsibilities.
20230127110112-63d3f8389f7d539d188a2691jpeg
Shopify Inc. headquarters signage is shown in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — Shopify Inc. says chief technology officer Allan Leinwand will be departing the company with chief executive Tobi Lütke to take on some of his responsibilities. 

In a statement from Leinwand provided by the Ottawa-based e-commerce giant, he says he is leaving Shopify for an unspecified "personal reason."

Leinwand, once a senior vice-president of engineering at Slack, spent 18 months at Shopify, taking over from Jean-Michel Lemieux, who left in 2021.

A statement from Harley Finkelstein, Shopify's president, says company founder Lütke will now oversee research and development.

Lütke previously stepped in to takeover chief product officer Craig Miller's responsibilities, when he left in 2020. At the time, Lütke said there were no plans to replace Miller.

Leinwand's departure comes after the company parted ways with several key staff including chief financial officer Amy Shapero, chief operating officer Toby Shannan and chief talent officer Brittany Forsyth during the pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:SHOP)

The Canadian Press