Axios Finish Line: Talking leadership with Vlad Tenev

Born and raised in Bulgaria until age 5, Tenev grew up in a crumbling economy and during periods of hyperinflation. "I remember always thinking about finances, being aware of them — and recognizing that if you were in control of your finances, that's a superpower," he told Axios.

• Hope talked with Tenev at Robinhood's office in Manhattan earlier this month:

1. What one sentence describes your leadership style?

• "I like to get into the details."

2. What's an unorthodox dimension of your leadership style?

• "I really care a lot about people being aware of their numbers … for how their business is operating."
• "If I'm in a meeting, talking to business leaders, [details and numbers] are the things that I try to really, really emphasize."
• Tenev added that he also likes to see that people on his team understand why and how their work ties into Robinhood's mission.

3. You grew up without a lot of money. Have any early financial habits stuck with you?

• Tenev's mother had a ritual where she went through the monthly credit card bill line by line. Any mistakes, she "would call and get it reversed."
• "For a while, I did that [before realizing] 'OK, wait a minute, I'm spending some amount of time … negotiating a $10 savings. Maybe that's inefficient.'"

4. Do you see the world through different eyes now that you've accumulated wealth?

• "Yes, I think that the best kind of gift that you can get is being able to trade money for time."
• While Tenev said that he spends the extra time he has gained on work, what he values is time with his family.
• As a kid, Tenev thought he'd grow up to be some kind of collector: He loved Legos so much, and his family could only afford one "little toy Lego ambulance. I remember [thinking] if I have money, I would get every Lego."
• But then when he could get every last Lego, he realized: "Having more stuff, there's just more things to worry about. … That drains me of energy rather than giving me energy."

5. Is there something you do splurge on?

• "Creature comforts. ... The first time I came into a little bit of money, I got a really nice comfortable couch for my living room, which I still have."

6. You and Robinhood were vilified during the GameStop saga. Elon Musk said recently that he doesn't care if he's hated. Do you care if people like you?

• "Depends on the people," Tenev said. "It's a fool's errand to try to make everyone like you."

• "I'd like to think that over the long run, if we keep delivering and doing good things, my brand is synonymous with the Robinhood brand. I think it'll improve as Robinhood's brand continues to improve and vice versa."

7. What's your blind spot?

• He's been trying to be more visible in public — talking more to the press, being more proactive on social media and communicating with customers outside of product launches.

8. What's the one book — business, philosophical or cultural — that most shaped or reflects your leadership?

• Tenev, who holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in mathematics, said he remains "very passionate about math," and still picks up his old books to see if he can still solve problems.
• He recently read "Proofs and Refutations," which he described as "almost like a philosophy book about the structure of mathematical inquiry."

10. What's one thing you do outside work that helps you perform optimally at work?

• "I work out a lot … some combination of cardio and strength training."
• While his sleep schedule varies every week, he averages a little bit more than four hours a night — owing to fewer hours during the week, and more on the weekends to catch up.

🤳 1 fun thing: What's one of the first stocks you bought?

• 3Com, which he bought in the '90s, made computer networking equipment like routers and modems. The company, founded in 1979, was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2010.

This story is from an Axios Finish Line interview series on leadership.

• More from the series: Brooks Brothers CEO Ken Ohashi ... Recent Walgreens CEO Roz Brewer ... Accenture CEO Julie Sweet.