News Summary

Canadian e-commerce giant Shopify reported strong fourth-quarter earnings, with revenue rising 31 percent year-over-year to over $2.8 billion, driven by a robust holiday season and record-breaking Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. Despite this financial success, Shopify faced significant backlash due to a controversy involving Kanye West’s Yeezy store, which was selling a t-shirt with a Nazi symbol. The store was removed from Shopify’s platform for violating its terms of service, which prohibit the promotion of hate and violence. This incident sparked criticism from former Shopify executives and reignited discussions about the company’s policies on hosting controversial merchants. The controversy overshadowed Shopify’s earnings call, where the company only addressed financial queries. Shopify’s stock has been volatile following mixed guidance for Q1 2025, with anticipated revenue growth at a mid-twenties percentage rate.