Robinhood Markets Inc. HOOD CEO Vladimir Tenev believes artificial intelligence will fundamentally reshape how Americans think about investing, predicting that putting money to work in the markets will become a "much bigger and more necessary part of individual lives’" within the next decade.

Speaking on the “Iced Coffee Hour” podcast released on Aug. 24, Tenev outlined a future where AI’s disruption of traditional employment makes investing less of an option and more of a survival strategy for financial security.

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Tenev sees AI creating a paradox in wealth creation. While the technology currently concentrates wealth among a handful of “Mag 7” tech giants, he believes long-term impacts could enable more “single-person companies” as AI automates specialized business functions.

“AI will change jobs rather than eliminate them, creating new and more interesting human jobs,” he told the podcast hosts, Graham Stephan and Jack Selby, advising people to become “AI native” quickly to avoid being left behind.

However, this transformation comes with a warning about timing. Tenev emphasized that those who fail to adapt to AI-powered tools risk finding themselves at a significant disadvantage in the evolving economy.

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Tenev addressed persistent perceptions that retail investors underperform the market, with Tenev pushing back against what he called “antiquated assumptions” based on high-commission trading environments.

He cited the Robinhood Investors Index, which tracks customer performance relative to broader markets, suggesting that the conventional wisdom about retail investor underperformance may be outdated. Robinhood customers tend to overweight technology and innovation stocks, plus cryptocurrency, leading to performance that fluctuates relative to traditional indices.

“Many younger Robinhood users see their discretionary investing as competing with a consumption bucket,” he said, meaning they’re investing money that might otherwise go toward entertainment or luxury purchases.

Reflecting on the controversial decision to restrict GameStop GME  trading, Tenev described the period as an “inferno” where regulatory capital requirements forced the platform to disable buy buttons or risk shutting down entirely.

“Nuance was lost, and people weren’t ready for complex explanations,” he said of the crisis communication challenges during the meme stock frenzy.

Looking ahead, the Tenev identified tokenization as potentially the “biggest innovation in capital markets in well over a decade.” He envisions this technology enabling 24/7 trading, instant settlement, and making traditionally illiquid assets more accessible to retail investors.

Robinhood has already launched tokenized U.S. equities in the European Union and is exploring ways to offer round-the-clock trading domestically.

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The platform’s retirement products have rapidly grown to exceed $20 billion in assets, positioning Robinhood to benefit from what Tenev expects will be a massive intergenerational wealth transfer from older to younger generations.

The company’s long-term vision extends beyond trading to becoming a “multigenerational financial platform” that manages comprehensive family wealth—essentially offering “family office in your pocket” capabilities, said Tenev.

On the podcast, Tenev also advocated for regulatory changes, calling the accredited investor rule “pernicious” because it prevents 80% of Americans from investing in private companies like AI firms or SpaceX, potentially contributing to wealth inequality.

He even suggested allowing people under 18 to invest, arguing that learning from smaller losses early in life provides more valuable lessons than making mistakes with larger amounts later.

As AI continues reshaping the economic landscape, Tenev predictions suggest investing literacy may soon shift from financial optimization to economic necessity.

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