Why did Tobias decide to move to Canada?

Tobias Lütke moved to Canada mainly because of his relationship with Fiona, whom he met during a snowboarding trip to Whistler, British Columbia. After meeting Fiona, she moved to Germany for a year, but eventually persuaded Tobias to move to Ottawa, Canada with her 1 2.

Additionally, Tobias found Canada appealing due to its culture and environment, which he felt was similar to the United States but more accessible for Europeans. This move also aligned with his desire to leave behind a restrictive corporate culture he experienced in Germany while working for companies like Siemens 2.

Once in Canada, Tobias faced work permit challenges, preventing him from working for local companies. However, he discovered he could start his own business. This led him to leverage his technical skills to establish an internet business selling snowboards, which eventually evolved into Shopify 2.