Traders Are Flooding Markets With Risky Bets. Robinhood’s CEO Is Their Cult Hero.

The chief executive of Robinhood Markets HOOD 10.93%increase; green up pointing triangle took the stage at the online brokerage’s annual summit in Las Vegas this fall decked out in a race-car driver’s jumpsuit and customized Nikes.

Vlad Tenev told the hundreds of cheering traders in the audience that they had chosen “one of the most intense lifestyles out there.” He compared trading to driving a race car. “A finely tuned machine can make all the difference,” he said, “and that’s the role we feel Robinhood plays for our active investors.”