Baiju Bhatt, the Indian-American co-founder of the popular stock trading platform Robinhood, has been named among the 10 youngest members of Forbes’ 400 richest Americans for 2025. At 40, he is the only person of Indian origin in this elite group, alongside global names such as Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, 41, and Walmart heir Luke Walton, 38.
Bhatt currently holds a net worth of $6 billion, largely stemming from his 6% stake in Robinhood. He co-founded the app in 2013 with Vlad Tenev, a college friend from Stanford University. Bhatt served as co-CEO of Robinhood until 2020, after which he transitioned to the role of chief creative officer. He stepped down from executive responsibilities in 2024 but continues to contribute as a board member while retaining his ownership stake.
Robinhood has experienced remarkable growth over the past year, with its stock price surging 400%. This performance has been fueled by a boom in crypto-driven transactions, the launch of new financial offerings including individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and high-yield savings products, and record revenues of $3 billion in 2024.
Bhatt’s journey from a modest upbringing to billionaire status is equally compelling. Born to Gujarati immigrant parents, he grew up in Poquoson, Virginia. His father pursued a PhD at the University of Huntsville, Alabama, but was forced to leave his studies due to kidney failure and mounting medical bills. Growing up as the only child in a financially constrained household, Bhatt faced numerous challenges, including limited access to trips back to India, with the family’s last visit in 1997.
Despite early hardships, Bhatt excelled academically, earning a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s degree in mathematics from Stanford. His personal and professional experiences have shaped him into a resilient entrepreneur, enabling him to build Robinhood into a disruptive force in the financial technology sector while achieving significant recognition on the global stage.
