Shopify Shows How Silicon Valley Corporate Governance Structures Spread and Become the Norm

Shopify IPO documents outline corporate governance strategies with concentrating voting for insiders.

Shopify filed for an IPO.  It is raising around $100 million (a placeholder figure), but it is too early to know exactly how much of the company this represents.

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Shopify IPO reveals dual class voting structure.

We do know that Shopify is implementing a dual share voting structure similar to many other tech companies.  While corporate governance activist types decry these types of arrangements, even a Canadian company knows how to protect the voting rights of its insiders.  Proponents say these structures allow for longer term thinking and innovation.

Currently, officers and directors control about 56.5% of the voting rights, with CEO Tobias Lutke holding 14.62%.  The 56.5% number is skewed because this includes investor nominees to the board, including Bessemer Venture Partners (30.3%).

The voting rights will be split up between Class B shares with 10 votes per share and the publicly held Class A shares with 1 vote per share.  The prospectus outlines the risk of concentrated voting.  However, it is not really a risk.  It is the point.

“In addition, because of the 10-to-1 voting ratio between our Class B multiple voting shares and Class A subordinate voting shares, the holders of our Class B multiple voting shares, collectively, will continue to control a majority of the combined voting power of our voting shares even where the Class B multiple voting shares represent a substantially reduced percentage of our total outstanding shares. The concentrated voting control of holders of our Class B multiple voting shares will limit the ability of our Class A subordinate voting shareholders to influence corporate matters for the foreseeable future.”