We spent two years building before we launched. In crypto, that's like waiting a century. But we wanted to get security right before we got users. That patience is why we've never been hacked.
Coinbase made crypto easy for beginners. We made it powerful for experts. Both approaches are valid — we just chose the harder market.
I flew to Tokyo after the Mt. Gox hack and saw the mess firsthand. That's when I decided — someone needs to build an exchange that actually works. That someone might as well be me.
Security isn't a feature. It's the product. If your exchange gets hacked, nothing else matters — not your UI, not your fees, not your coin listings. You're done.
Regulators don't understand crypto yet. That doesn't make them the enemy. But it does mean we have to educate while we comply, which is exhausting and expensive.