Coinbase vs Robinhood Markets: Founders, CEOs and History
Coinbase was founded in 2012 by Brian Armstrong, Fred Ehrsam and is led by Brian Armstrong. Robinhood Markets was founded in 2013 by Vlad Tenev, Baiju Bhatt and is led by Vlad Tenev.
Company facts
Coinbase
- Founded
- 2012
- Headquarters
- Remote-first; San Francisco, California
- Current CEO
- Brian Armstrong
- Employees
- 4,951
Robinhood Markets
- Founded
- 2013
- Headquarters
- Menlo Park, California
- Current CEO
- Vlad Tenev
- Employees
- 2,900
Founders
Coinbase
Brian Armstrong
Brian Armstrong co-founded Coinbase in 2012 after reading the Bitcoin whitepaper and concluding that buying and storing bitcoin was too hard for ordinary people.
Fred Ehrsam
Fred Ehrsam co-founded Coinbase with Brian Armstrong in 2012 and helped shape its early trading, banking and fundraising work. He stepped back from operations in January 2017 but has remained a member of Coinbase's board.
Robinhood Markets
Vlad Tenev
Vlad Tenev co-founded Robinhood in 2013 and has been sole CEO since November 2020; he is also chairman.
Baiju Bhatt
Baiju Bhatt co-founded Robinhood in 2013 and was co-CEO with Vlad Tenev until November 2020, when he became Chief Creative Officer and focused on product and design.
CEOs and their tenures
Coinbase
- Brian Armstrong2012–present
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Co-founded Coinbase in 2012 and has led it as CEO ever since, taking it from a Y Combinator bitcoin wallet to a Nasdaq-listed, S&P 500 crypto exchange and infrastructure company.
Source - Fred Ehrsam2012–2017
Co-Founder
Co-founded Coinbase in 2012 and brought trading experience from Goldman Sachs. He stepped back from operations in 2017, remains a Coinbase director, and co-founded crypto investor Paradigm in 2018.
Source - Emilie Choi2018–present
President and Chief Operating Officer
Joined Coinbase in 2018 to lead corporate and business development after senior roles at LinkedIn, and now oversees operations as President and COO.
- Alesia Haas2018–present
Chief Financial Officer
CFO since 2018, previously CFO of Sculptor Capital (Och-Ziff) and OneWest Bank; led the 2021 direct listing and capital management.
- Paul Grewal2020–present
Chief Legal Officer
Former U.S. magistrate judge and Facebook deputy general counsel who led Coinbase's defense in the SEC lawsuit.
Robinhood Markets
- Vlad Tenev2013–present
Co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Under Tenev, Robinhood moved from a $541 million net loss in 2023 to $1.883 billion of net income on $4.473 billion of revenue in 2025.
Source - Baiju Bhatt2013–2020
Co-founder and former co-CEO
Shared the CEO role with Vlad Tenev until November 2020, then served as Chief Creative Officer until 2024.
Source - Shiv Verma2025–present
Chief Financial Officer
Succeeded long-time CFO Jason Warnick in 2025.
Source
Timeline: Coinbase and Robinhood Markets side by side
2012Coinbase
Company Founded via Y Combinator
Brian Armstrong took Coinbase through Y Combinator's Summer 2012 batch and co-founded it with Fred Ehrsam. The service launched in October 2012, letting U.S. users buy bitcoin with a linked bank account, which few rivals offered at the time.
2013Coinbase
Andreessen Horowitz Leads $25M Series B
Andreessen Horowitz led a $25 million Series B at a valuation of approximately $143 million, the largest crypto venture investment to date and a signal that mainstream Silicon Valley was taking cryptocurrency seriously.
2013Robinhood Markets
Robinhood is founded
Vlad Tenev and Baiju Bhatt found Robinhood with a mission to democratize access to investing.
2015Coinbase
Receives New York BitLicense
Coinbase was among the first companies granted New York's BitLicense, the state's crypto-specific regulatory framework. The approval reinforced its compliance-first positioning in the U.S. market.
2015Robinhood Markets
Mobile app launches
Robinhood launches commission-free stock trading through a simple mobile brokerage app.
2017Coinbase
Surpasses 10 Million Users
Coinbase crossed 10 million users in 2017 as bitcoin approached $20,000, and its app reached the top of Apple's U.S. App Store in December 2017. Rapid growth also strained the platform, leading to outages and support backlogs.
2018Coinbase
Launches Coinbase Custody for Institutions
Coinbase launched Coinbase Custody, a regulated institutional-grade custody product designed to meet the fiduciary requirements of hedge funds, family offices, and eventually public pension funds.
2018Robinhood Markets
Robinhood Crypto launches
Robinhood expands into crypto trading, adding a major cyclical revenue driver.
2021Coinbase
Nasdaq Direct Listing
Coinbase listed on Nasdaq through a direct listing on April 14, 2021. Shares opened at $381 against a $250 reference price and the company ended its first day valued at about $86 billion, making it the first major U.S. crypto exchange to go public.
2021Coinbase
Reports Record $7.8B Revenue and $3.6B Net Income
Fiscal year 2021 produced Coinbase's strongest financial results in its history, with net revenue of $7.8 billion and net income of $3.6 billion driven by a retail crypto buying wave and Bitcoin prices reaching $69,000.
2021Robinhood Markets
GameStop restrictions and IPO
Robinhood faces scrutiny during the meme-stock trading episode and later goes public on Nasdaq.
2022Coinbase
Navigates Industry Crisis; Workforce Reduction
The Terra/Luna and FTX collapses and a deep crypto bear market cut Coinbase's revenue from $7.84 billion in 2021 to about $3.19 billion in 2022.
2023Coinbase
Launches Base Layer 2 Blockchain
Coinbase opened Base, an Ethereum layer-2 network built on Optimism's OP Stack, to the public in August 2023.
2023Coinbase
SEC Files Lawsuit Against Coinbase
The SEC sued Coinbase in June 2023, alleging it operated as an unregistered exchange, broker and clearing agency and that its staking program was an unregistered security. Coinbase contested the case, and in February 2025 the SEC agreed to dismiss it.
2023Robinhood Markets
X1 acquisition adds card capability
Robinhood acquires X1, helping build the Robinhood Gold Card strategy.
2024Coinbase
Bitcoin Spot ETFs Approved; Coinbase Named Primary Custodian
The SEC approved U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs in January 2024, and Coinbase was named custodian for eight of the eleven initial funds, including BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust.
2024Coinbase
Reports $6.56B Revenue and $2.58B Net Income
FY2024 total revenue was $6.56 billion, roughly double FY2023's $3.11 billion, with net income of about $2.58 billion. ETF-driven trading, higher crypto prices and stablecoin income all contributed.
2024Robinhood Markets
Robinhood Gold Card launches
Robinhood launches the Gold Card, built on technology from its 2023 X1 acquisition.
2025Coinbase
Joins the S&P 500
Coinbase was added to the S&P 500 in May 2025, replacing Discover Financial and becoming the first crypto-native company in the index.
2025Coinbase
Completes $2.9B Deribit Acquisition
Coinbase closed its acquisition of Deribit, the largest crypto options exchange, in August 2025 for about $2.9 billion in cash and stock. FY2025 revenue reached $7.18 billion and net income $1.26 billion.
2025Robinhood Markets
TradePMR and Bitstamp expand product reach
Robinhood uses acquisitions to expand advisory infrastructure and crypto exchange capability.
2025Robinhood Markets
Revenue reaches $4.473B
Robinhood reports FY2025 total net revenues of $4.473B and net income of $1.883B.
2025Robinhood Markets
Joins the S&P 500
Robinhood is added to the S&P 500 index in September 2025.
2026Coinbase
Cuts 14% of Staff Amid Crypto Slump
After a $394 million net loss in Q1 2026, Coinbase announced in May 2026 that it would cut about 700 jobs, roughly 14% of its workforce, citing market volatility and AI-driven changes to how it works.
2026Robinhood Markets
Q1 revenue of $1.07 billion
Robinhood reports Q1 2026 total net revenues of $1.07 billion, up 15%, as crypto revenue falls.
2026Robinhood Markets
10% workforce reduction
In June 2026 Robinhood cuts about 290 roles to flatten management layers.
2026Robinhood Markets
Record Q2 revenue of $1.31 billion
Q2 2026 revenue rises 32% to $1.31 billion, net income reaches $573 million, and funded customers hit 28.4 million.
Acquisitions
Coinbase
- Deribit2025$2.9B
- Echo2025Undisclosed
- One River Digital Asset Management2023Undisclosed
- FairX2022Undisclosed
- Bison Trails2021Undisclosed
- Tagomi2020Undisclosed
Robinhood Markets
- TradePMR2025$300M
- Bitstamp2025$200M
- X12023$95M
- Say Technologies2021$140M
- MarketSnacks2019Undisclosed
Questions about Coinbase vs Robinhood Markets
Who is the CEO of Coinbase Global and Robinhood Markets, Inc.?
Coinbase Global is led by Brian Armstrong and Robinhood Markets, Inc. is led by Vlad Tenev. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Coinbase Global founded vs Robinhood Markets, Inc.?
Coinbase Global was founded in 2012 — 1 year before Robinhood Markets, Inc., which was founded in 2013. Coinbase Global's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Robinhood Markets, Inc..
How many employees does Coinbase Global have compared to Robinhood Markets, Inc.?
Coinbase Global employs approximately 4,951 people, while Robinhood Markets, Inc. employs approximately 2,900. Coinbase Global has the larger workforce at 4,951 employees, compared to Robinhood Markets, Inc.'s 2,900. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Coinbase Global and Robinhood Markets, Inc. headquartered?
Both Coinbase Global and Robinhood Markets, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Coinbase Global and Robinhood Markets, Inc.?
Coinbase Global was founded by Brian Armstrong, Fred Ehrsam. Robinhood Markets, Inc. was founded by Vlad Tenev, Baiju Bhatt.
Which company has a longer operating history — Coinbase Global or Robinhood Markets, Inc.?
Coinbase Global has been operating for approximately 14 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Robinhood Markets, Inc. has been in operation for around 13 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Coinbase vs Robinhood Markets overview