Before CashCat. Before Robinhood. There was Zardoz. The trading system behind the founders’ path to Robinhood. CA: 0x931e7b2fd1d20ebf8043e461bb855c3ceb18092a
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Now, in the “Robinhood: Vlad Tenev” podcast episode of NPR’s How I Built This with Guy Raz, Vlad’s own voice connects it all.
“Why can’t the software that we’re building for an institutional purpose be used in the same way to offer the same type of amazing pricing and high-frequency execution to retail consumers as well?”
“Take this sophisticated technology that we’ve built and make it into a consumer product.”
Podcast Source: Robinhood: Vlad Tenev — How I Built This with Guy Raz.
The key founder-era section begins around 18:18, with the Robinhood idea discussed from 34:48.
open.spotify.com/episode/5gx…
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
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Connery Room at Robinhood HQ. Guess why.
And where do you think the name “ZARDOZ” came from?
A 1974 Sean Connery film. 🎯
@BaijuBhatt
facebook.com/theallgrownup/p…
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Listen from 18:00 to 40:00.
Spend 22 minutes less scrolling and 22 minutes more listening.
@vladtenev explains how the institutional trading technology built during the Zardoz era, along with the team and learnings, helped shape the Robinhood idea.
Sources below.
open.spotify.com/episode/5gx…
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas…
guyraz.com/hibt-show-notes/r…
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The continuity also included people.
Vlad said:
“There’s still some people at Robinhood today that were originally working for Chronos on our trading software for institutions.”
The experience did not disappear when the direction changed.
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Put the public record together:
Zardoz was the documented trading system.
Chronos was the company Vlad called the “spiritual precursor to Robinhood.”
And Vlad now explains, in his own voice, how the technology, team and learnings were carried toward a consumer product.
The sources finally connect.
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Our research keeps going deeper.
Tonight we found a podcast where Vlad, in his own voice, explains how the early institutional trading work carried into what came next.
There’s more in it than we expected.
Details tomorrow.
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More context on Zardoz. It goes deeper than the origin story.
In a technical account republished by Forbes, Vlad said Chronos developed two software platforms under the Zardoz name in 2011.
Built for co-location.
One reached under 15 microseconds wire-to-wire.
Before Robinhood reached millions, the founders were already engineering trading infrastructure at the microsecond level.
Founder-written proof. Public since 2014.
Source: Vlad Tenev’s technical account on Zardoz, republished by Forbes in 2014
forbes.com/sites/quora/2014/…
Zardoz was an earlier trading product built at Chronos Research, the company Vlad later called "the spiritual precursor to Robinhood."
@RobinhoodApp became the founders’ final consumer-facing product, but the trading-product intent was there from the Zardoz era.
Choices matter..
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Some wait for acknowledgement..
Real holders wait with conviction.. Like old times..
The proof is public.. Business Insider and Finance Magnates are known as credible business and news sources, almost for 20 years..
What else do you need?
But yeah, do your own research, nothing is advice in Zardoz tweets.
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Zardoz feels like one of those early builder stories worth remembering.
Would be amazing to hear it one day, and maybe inspire the next founders.
@vladtenev , @BaijuBhatt
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Every bigger vision stands on the steps below.
Before Robinhood became the consumer-facing chapter, there were early years, late nights, know-how, and systems thinking.
Zardoz feels like one of those origin layers worth remembering.
@vladtenev , @BaijuBhatt
Tell us the story of Zardoz. @vladtenev @BaijuBhatt
🤖 Made with AI
