I learned that being authentic and empathetic in communication is crucial, especially during high-stakes situations like the GameStop controversy.

Navigating the negative press cycle and loss of trust from users was exhausting for Robinhood's leadership, but it led to a commitment to transparency and rebuilding trust.

The decision to restrict trading on certain stocks, including GameStop and AMC, was painful for both the company and our customers, leading to a strong backlash and public outrage, as it sparked conspiracy theories that Robinhood was pressured by hedge funds.

The leadership team at Robinhood felt a deep sense of betrayal from customers during the controversy, which was a complicated narrative to articulate.

During the pandemic, Robinhood experienced explosive growth in trading volume, leading to significant infrastructure challenges, including a full day of trading outages.

To meet the collateral requirements, we had to wire $500 million to Robinhood within hours, which was a critical moment for the company.

Despite challenges, Robinhood has set new revenue records in 2024, demonstrating that the decisions made during the downturn were crucial for long-term success.

In early 2021, Robinhood faced a collateral call of $3.7 billion due to increased trading activity, which was unprecedented for the company.

Robinhood's early success demonstrated its transition from a financial services application to a culturally relevant consumer application, highlighting its unique value proposition, especially after facing multiple project failures and struggling to achieve product-market fit despite various marketing efforts before launching.