Tobi Lütke on AI councils, taste, and Shopify's AI colleague River
rseroter · x · 2026-09-22
Farnam Street's Brain Food newsletter (No. 699) features the third podcast conversation with Shopify founder and CEO Tobi Lütke on AI agents, decision-making, and the future of work.
- Lütke explains how he uses an "AI council" to examine his hardest decisions.
- A deep dive into River, Shopify's internal AI colleague with memory, personality, and permission to challenge the CEO.
- He argues taste, judgment, and responsibility become more valuable as AI capability grows.
- Other topics: choosing between several good options and why the best long-term decisions often lack immediate feedback.
The newsletter also frames a "Golden Rule of AI": don't use AI to save yourself time by wasting someone else's.
Related event: Shopify CEO: AI Can't Take Responsibility, and Slop Is Rising(4 posts)→
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