Shopify's River Coding Agent Creates Public Learning Environment
Tobias Lütke introduces River, Shopify's internal coding agent that functions exclusively on Slack in a public manner. Instead of replying to direct messages, River encourages users to establish public channels for teamwork. Lütke engages with River in the #tobi_river channel, a practice that has been adopted by many. All discussions are searchable, and any Shopify employee can participate. In Lütke's channel, over 100 individuals contribute to threads, provide context, assist with reviews, and learn by observation. This setting is likened to a "Lehrwerkstatt," where the entire workplace acts as a classroom, fostering learning through proximity to the work. Shopify's goal is to scale this Lehrwerkstatt concept, and River significantly advances this vision by facilitating informal learning without formal structures. Lütke draws parallels to Midjourney's formative years, where public Discord channels encouraged users to share prompts and learn collectively, which he believes was crucial to their early achievements. This information was shared by Simon Willison on 11th May 2026.
Key facts
- River is Shopify's internal coding agent tool that operates in public on Slack.
- River does not respond to direct messages but suggests creating a public channel.
- Tobias Lütke works with River in the #tobi_river channel, a pattern many followed.
- Every conversation with River is searchable and anyone at Shopify can join.
- Over 100 people in Lütke's channel react, add context, help with reviews, and learn.
- The environment is described as a 'Lehrwerkstatt' (teaching workshop).
- Shopify wants to be a Lehrwerkstatt at scale, enabled by River.
- Osmosis learning requires no curriculum, training plan, or manager.
- Midjourney used public Discord channels in its early years for similar learning.
- Simon Willison posted this link on 11th May 2026.
Entities
Institutions
- Shopify
- Midjourney