In 'The Infinite Game', Simon Sinek distinguishes between finite and infinite games. Finite games have known players, fixed rules, and a clear endpoint, whereas infinite games, like business and life, have no defined endpoint and are played to continue the game rather than to win. Sinek argues that leaders who adopt an infinite mindset, focusing on a 'Just Cause', building 'Trusting Teams', having 'Worthy Rivals', practicing 'Existential Flexibility', and showing the 'Courage to Lead', will build stronger, more innovative, and resilient organizations. The book uses real-world examples to illustrate the benefits of an infinite mindset and the pitfalls of a finite mindset in business and leadership[1][2][5].
In this book, James P. Carse distinguishes between finite and infinite games. Finite games are instrumental activities with clear rules, boundaries, and winners, such as sports, politics, and wars. Infinite games, on the other hand, are authentic interactions that aim to continue the play, changing rules and boundaries as needed. Carse explores how these concepts apply to various aspects of life, including culture, religion, sexuality, and self-discovery. He argues that finite games offer wealth, status, and power, while infinite games provide something more subtle and grander, such as true freedom and endless possibility. The book offers insights into how approaching life as either a finite or infinite game affects one's choices, satisfaction, and success[2][4][5].
Tobi Lütke is the founder and CEO of Shopify, a $130 billion business that powers over 10% of all U.S. e-commerce. Starting as a snowboard shop in 2004, Shopify has become the leading commerce platform by consistently approaching problems differently. Tobi remains deeply technical, frequently coding alongside his team, and is known for his unique approach to leadership, product development, and company building. In our conversation, we discuss:
• Why complexity kills entrepreneurship
• How to develop and leverage your unique talent stack
• How specifically Tobi approaches thinking from first principles
• The importance of focusing on unquantifiable qualities like joy and delight
• Why Tobi works backward from a 100-year vision
• Why metrics should support decisions, not make them
• The power of following your curiosity
• What Tobi believes it takes to be a great product leader
• Much more
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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/tobi-lutkes-leadership-playbook
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Where to find Tobi Lütke:
• X: https://x.com/tobi
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiaslutke/
• Website: https://tobi.lutke.com/
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Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Welcome and introduction
(04:17) The Tobi tornado
(07:10) Maximizing human potential
(11:05) Education and personal growth
(16:47) Operating without KPIs
(25:00) First-principles thinking
(40:04) Remote work
(45:59) Why Tobi never stopped coding
(54:46) Embracing disagreement
(01:01:27) The 100-year vision
(01:09:29) Balancing tactics and positioning
(01:17:15) Encouraging entrepreneurship
(01:19:34) The power of good UX
(01:28:42) The talent stack and unique opportunities
(01:34:30) The role of passion in product development
(01:36:39) Final thoughts and farewell
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Referenced:
• How Shopify builds a high-intensity culture | Farhan Thawar (VP and Head of Eng): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-shopify-builds-a-high-intensity-culture-farhan-thawar
• Breaking the rules of growth: Why Shopify bans KPIs, optimizes for churn, prioritizes intuition, and builds toward a 100-year vision | Archie Abrams (VP Product, Head of Growth at Shopify): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/shopifys-growth-archie-abrams
• The ultimate guide to performance marketing | Timothy Davis (Shopify): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/performance-marketing-timothy-davis
• Brandon Chu on building product at Shopify, how writing changed the trajectory of his career, the habits that make you a great PM, pros and cons of being a platform PM, how Shopify got through Covid: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brandon-chu-on-what-its-like-to-build
• IRC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRC
• Goodhart’s law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law
• Glen Coates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glcoates/
• How Shopify builds product: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-shopify-builds-product
• The Last Dance on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80203144
• Autoregressive Models for Natural Language Processing: https://medium.com/@zaiinn440/autoregressive-models-for-natural-language-processing-b95e5f933e1f
• Archimedean property: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedean_property
• Tabula rasa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabula_rasa
• Daniel Weinand on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielweinand/
• World of Warcraft: https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com
• Harley Finkelstein on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harleyf/
• Monorepo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monorepo
• The Sarbanes Oxley Act: https://sarbanes-oxley-act.com/
• Shopify builds Shopify Balance with Stripe to give small businesses an easier way to manage money: https://stripe.com/customers/shopify
• Stanford marshmallow experiment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experiment
• Brian Armstrong on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barmstrong/
• We are the Web: https://link.wired.com/public/32945405
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Recommended books:
• Finite and Infinite Games: https://www.amazon.com/Finite-Infinite-Games-James-Carse/dp/1476731713
• The Infinite Game: https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Game-Simon-Sinek/dp/073521350X/
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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
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Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career 
