TOP 10
Brian Armstrong
Coinbase
02
Armstrong , the Co-Founder and CEO of Coinbase , studied computer science – a Bachelor ’ s that was then followed by a Master ’ s , both obtained from Rice University in Texas . Before starting Coinbase in 2012 , Armstrong worked at IBM and Deloitte before a stint as Technical Product Manager at Airbnb – by that time , a four-year-old startup synonymous with ‘ couchsurfing ’.
Along with Fred Ehrsam , Armstrong founded Coinbase in 2012 as a way for crypto enthusiasts to trade in bitcoin and other digital currencies . In April 2021 , Coinbase went public with a direct listing that saw it reach a valuation of US $ 85bn , increasing Armstrong ’ s personal fortune to a reported US $ 2.4bn .
Today , the platform proclaims that it is on a mission to deliver a fairer and more transparent financial system . Users can choose to buy or sell more than 10,000 different digital assets , with Coinbase boasting more than US $ 300bn in quarterly volume traded .