HOOD went from $40 to $133.64 between December 2024 and December 2025. Robinhood Markets, trading under ticker HOOD, delivered 3x returns while critics still called it a gambling app. The meme stock platform became the default broker for Gen Z. The app that Wall Street wanted to fail became the on-ramp for a generation of investors.
Why Did Young People Need a New Broker?
Traditional brokers charge fees and require minimums that price out young investors. Opening a brokerage account meant paperwork, phone calls, and waiting days for approval. A generation raised on instant apps expected investing to work like everything else on their phone. Legacy brokers made investing feel like a privilege. Robinhood made it feel like a feature.
What Did Wall Street Get Wrong About Robinhood?
Wall Street dismissed Robinhood as a toy for gamblers. After GameStop, the narrative hardened. Media declared retail trading dead after the meme stock crash. Serious investors don't use apps with confetti animations. The establishment wanted Robinhood to fail because its success threatened their fee structures. They mistook product design for product substance.
How Did Robinhood Evolve While Nobody Watched?
Critics focused on meme stock volatility and missed the sticky user base. Robinhood users didn't leave after GameStop. They kept depositing. The app added IRAs with 1% matching, crypto trading, and 24-hour stock trading. Payment for order flow and cash sweep interest created profitable revenue streams. A gambling app evolved into a full-service broker while nobody was watching.
Why Did HOOD Triple in 12 Months?
Robinhood proved that accessibility beats prestige. Zero commissions, fractional shares, and mobile-first design created 24 million funded accounts. 50% of users are under 35. These are not day traders. They are long-term investors who started on an app and stayed. HOOD surged 234% because the winning brokers are the ones who make participation feel natural.
Finance has always been gatekept by those who profit from complexity. Robinhood did not just build an app. It built the expectation that investing should be as easy as sending a text. That expectation does not go away. Every young person who buys their first stock on a phone will wonder why retirement accounts, mortgages, and insurance are not just as simple. The broker that taught a generation to invest will shape how that generation demands every financial product work. Democratized access is not a feature. It is the new baseline.