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In this VladStocks Exclusive, Robinhood co-founder and CEO Vlad Tenev sits down with Vlad to tell his life story and break down the remarkable rise, near-collapse, and resurgence of one of the most disruptive financial companies of the modern era.
Tenev details the journey behind building Robinhood, whose commission-free trading model helped transform retail investing and forced the traditional brokerage industry to adapt. He discusses the company's rapid growth, going public, and eventually reaching tens of millions of customers—including millions who opened their first-ever brokerage account through Robinhood.
The conversation also tackles Robinhood's most controversial moment: the 2021 GameStop trading restrictions. Tenev explains what happened behind the scenes, the massive collateral requirements the company suddenly faced, and why Robinhood's response created years of criticism and conspiracy theories.
Tenev then breaks down Robinhood's dramatic stock journey, from its IPO and subsequent collapse to single-digit prices to its eventual recovery. He explains how the company used the downturn to expand beyond stock trading into retirement accounts, high-yield products, Robinhood Gold, active trading tools, banking services, and products aimed at high-net-worth customers.
Looking ahead, Tenev discusses 24/7 trading, tokenized stocks, private-market investing, crypto, Robinhood Social, and his long-term vision of turning Robinhood into a default global financial platform where users can manage virtually every aspect of their financial lives.
Vlad also shares his own investing experiences and introduces Tenev to VladStocks, leading to a discussion about potentially bringing its portfolio-sharing concept to Robinhood Social.
From startup founder to leading a multibillion-dollar public company, Vlad Tenev tells the full story behind Robinhood and where he believes investing is headed next.
