Even Silicon Valley CEOs can get tired of technology.
Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev told the hosts of the “Access” podcast that he stopped tracking his blood pressure while recalling the many storms his company has weathered.
“I was wearing my Apple watch, and I was thinking about all this health stuff, and now I’ve gone very mechanical. I’m like, ‘I don’t want to see it,'” Tenev said in an episode posted Thursday. “I kind of know when I haven’t slept well, so I don’t need the device. I’m becoming more of a Luddite as we keep rolling out more business lines.”
While the term “Luddite” is sometimes used to refer to a person who opposes new technologies, it stems from a 19th-century English labor movement in which workers damaged new machinery to protest against wage reductions and unemployment. More recently, some Gen Zers — including the Luddite Club — have adopted the term while encouraging their peers to form healthier relationships with smartphones, social media, and technology.
Robinhood, founded in 2013, is a fintech company that lets users trade traditional stocks, cryptocurrencies, options, and exchange-traded funds through its platforms. It helped popularize retail trading during the pandemic and was famously at the center of the GameStop meme stock drama.
The company has expanded over the last 12 years, and recently announced new products and features during its Hood Summit in September.
In addition to extending index options trading and increasing the number of investment accounts users can open, Robinhood said it is building a finance-focused social media platform where users can share strategies and follow other traders. A beta version of Robinhood Social will be made available to about 10,000 users during the first quarter of 2026. The official launch date has not been announced yet.
“I think the interesting opportunity for us is actually becoming the place where the ideas are generated and shared,” Tenev said on the “Access” podcast. “Can we be the first place where you actually post something interesting that has, like, financial or business or economic content?”
