Robinhood's commission-free model was crucial in removing financial barriers for new investors, particularly young people with limited funds.

I was inspired to create Robinhood after witnessing the financial industry's negative reputation and wanting to offer a platform that genuinely helps the average investor. A lot of Robinhood customers start with as little as $10, which was a significant innovation because before Robinhood, trading fees made it impractical to invest small amounts.

Robinhood transformed stock trading from a cumbersome and expensive process to a free, mobile-first experience aimed at democratizing finance for everyone.

When we launched Robinhood, we communicated that other platforms charge up to $10 per trade, while we eliminated commissions industry-wide, making it easy to understand our value proposition.

The idea behind Robinhood was to democratize investing by providing tools that empower everyday people to manage their finances without the barriers traditionally associated with investing.

The founders of Robinhood recognized the financial industry's shortcomings and the opportunity to create a new kind of financial services company, driven by the rise of electronic trading and mobile technology.

Despite skepticism about the viability of a commission-free trading model, Robinhood's founders believed they could generate revenue through alternative means, such as payment for order flow.

Robinhood successfully launched on Hacker News with a simple message about commission-free trading, gaining thousands of signups quickly.

Robinhood diversified its product offerings beyond equities trading, introducing retirement accounts and high-yield cash sweep balances, which attracted a broader range of customers.