Brian Armstrong - Co-Founder & CEO of Coinbase
The Shawn Ryan Show
Brian Armstrong, born in San Jose, California, is the co-founder and CEO of Coinbase, the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange, which he launched in 2012 with Fred Ehrsam. A Y Combinator alumnus, Armstrong grew up in a middle-class family and earned a B.A. in Economics and Computer Science from Rice University in 2005, followed by an M.S. in Computer Science in 2006.
Before founding Coinbase, he worked as a software engineer at Airbnb developing anti-fraud tools and founded UniversityTutor.com, an online tutoring marketplace. Under his leadership, Coinbase went public via direct listing in 2021, reaching a $100 billion valuation. As of 2025, it serves over 110 million users with a market cap around $60 billion.
A Forbes-listed billionaire with a net worth of approximately $10 billion, Armstrong is a vocal advocate for clear crypto regulation. He founded the Stand With Crypto PAC in 2023 to support pro-crypto politicians, promotes decentralized identity solutions, and has pledged 99% of his wealth to charity through the Giving Pledge.
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Brian Armstrong Links
Raw Description
<p>Brian Armstrong, born in San Jose, California, is the co-founder and CEO of Coinbase, the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange, which he launched in 2012 with Fred Ehrsam. A Y Combinator alumnus, Armstrong grew up in a middle-class family and earned a B.A. in Economics and Computer Science from Rice University in 2005, followed by an M.S. in Computer Science in 2006.</p> <p>Before founding Coinbase, he worked as a software engineer at Airbnb developing anti-fraud tools and founded UniversityTutor.com, an online tutoring marketplace. Under his leadership, Coinbase went public via direct listing in 2021, reaching a $100 billion valuation. As of 2025, it serves over 110 million users with a market cap around $60 billion.</p> <p>A Forbes-listed billionaire with a net worth of approximately $10 billion, Armstrong is a vocal advocate for clear crypto regulation. He founded the Stand With Crypto PAC in 2023 to support pro-crypto politicians, promotes decentralized identity solutions, and has pledged 99% of his wealth to charity through the Giving Pledge.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://betterhelp.com/srs"><u>https://betterhelp.com/srs</u></a></p> <p>This episode is sponsored. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/srs and get on your way to being your best self.</p> <p><a href="https://bunkr.life"><u>https://bunkr.life – USE CODE SRS</u></a></p> <p>Go to https://bunkr.life/SRS and use code “SRS” to get your 25% off your family plan</p> <p><a href="https://shawnlikesgold.com"><u>https://shawnlikesgold.com</u></a></p> <p><a href="https://helixsleep.com/srs"><u>https://helixsleep.com/srs</u></a></p> <p><a href="https://rocketmoney.com/srs"><u>https://rocketmoney.com/srs</u></a></p> <p><a href="https://roka.com"><u>https://ROKA.com – USE CODE SRS</u></a></p> <p><a href="https://ziprecruiter.com/srs"><u>https://ziprecruiter.com/srs</u></a><br></p> <p><strong>Brian Armstrong Links:</strong></p> <p>X -<a href="https://x.com/brian_armstrong"> https://x.com/brian_armstrong</a></p> <p>LI -<a href="https://linkedin.com/in/barmstrong"> https://linkedin.com/in/barmstrong</a></p> <p>Coinbase -<a href="https://coinbase.com/"> https://coinbase.com</a></p> <p>Blog -<a href="https://blog.coinbase.com/author/brian-armstrong"> https://blog.coinbase.com/author/brian-armstrong</a></p> <p>Stand With Crypto -<a href="https://standwithcrypto.org/"> https://standwithcrypto.org</a><br></p><p> </p><p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p>
Show Notes
Brian Armstrong, born in San Jose, California, is the co-founder and CEO of Coinbase, the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange, which he launched in 2012 with Fred Ehrsam. A Y Combinator alumnus, Armstrong grew up in a middle-class family and earned a B.A. in Economics and Computer Science from Rice University in 2005, followed by an M.S. in Computer Science in 2006.
Before founding Coinbase, he worked as a software engineer at Airbnb developing anti-fraud tools and founded UniversityTutor.com, an online tutoring marketplace. Under his leadership, Coinbase went public via direct listing in 2021, reaching a $100 billion valuation. As of 2025, it serves over 110 million users with a market cap around $60 billion.
A Forbes-listed billionaire with a net worth of approximately $10 billion, Armstrong is a vocal advocate for clear crypto regulation. He founded the Stand With Crypto PAC in 2023 to support pro-crypto politicians, promotes decentralized identity solutions, and has pledged 99% of his wealth to charity through the Giving Pledge.
Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors
betterhelp.com/srs This episode is sponsored. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/srs and get on your way to being your best self.
bunkr.life – USE CODE SRS Go to bunkr.life/SRS and use code "SRS" to get your 25% off your family plan
Brian Armstrong Links
Raw Description
<p>Brian Armstrong, born in San Jose, California, is the co-founder and CEO of Coinbase, the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange, which he launched in 2012 with Fred Ehrsam. A Y Combinator alumnus, Armstrong grew up in a middle-class family and earned a B.A. in Economics and Computer Science from Rice University in 2005, followed by an M.S. in Computer Science in 2006.</p> <p>Before founding Coinbase, he worked as a software engineer at Airbnb developing anti-fraud tools and founded UniversityTutor.com, an online tutoring marketplace. Under his leadership, Coinbase went public via direct listing in 2021, reaching a $100 billion valuation. As of 2025, it serves over 110 million users with a market cap around $60 billion.</p> <p>A Forbes-listed billionaire with a net worth of approximately $10 billion, Armstrong is a vocal advocate for clear crypto regulation. He founded the Stand With Crypto PAC in 2023 to support pro-crypto politicians, promotes decentralized identity solutions, and has pledged 99% of his wealth to charity through the Giving Pledge.</p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://betterhelp.com/srs"><u>https://betterhelp.com/srs</u></a></p> <p>This episode is sponsored. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/srs and get on your way to being your best self.</p> <p><a href="https://bunkr.life"><u>https://bunkr.life – USE CODE SRS</u></a></p> <p>Go to https://bunkr.life/SRS and use code “SRS” to get your 25% off your family plan</p> <p><a href="https://shawnlikesgold.com"><u>https://shawnlikesgold.com</u></a></p> <p><a href="https://helixsleep.com/srs"><u>https://helixsleep.com/srs</u></a></p> <p><a href="https://rocketmoney.com/srs"><u>https://rocketmoney.com/srs</u></a></p> <p><a href="https://roka.com"><u>https://ROKA.com – USE CODE SRS</u></a></p> <p><a href="https://ziprecruiter.com/srs"><u>https://ziprecruiter.com/srs</u></a><br></p> <p><strong>Brian Armstrong Links:</strong></p> <p>X -<a href="https://x.com/brian_armstrong"> https://x.com/brian_armstrong</a></p> <p>LI -<a href="https://linkedin.com/in/barmstrong"> https://linkedin.com/in/barmstrong</a></p> <p>Coinbase -<a href="https://coinbase.com/"> https://coinbase.com</a></p> <p>Blog -<a href="https://blog.coinbase.com/author/brian-armstrong"> https://blog.coinbase.com/author/brian-armstrong</a></p> <p>Stand With Crypto -<a href="https://standwithcrypto.org/"> https://standwithcrypto.org</a><br></p><p> </p><p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a></p>
