Short answers, pulled from the story.
Brian Armstrong launched Coinbase in June 2012 after enrolling his startup into the Y Combinator incubator program. Fred Ehrsam joined as co-founder following his observation of Armstrong's posts on Reddit.
Coinbase went public via direct listing on Nasdaq on the 14th of April 2021. The company set a reference price of US$250 per share before trading began, valuing the firm at approximately US$47 billion.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued Coinbase in June 2023 alleging unregistered brokerage activities since 2019. Charges included failure to register its staking service under federal securities laws.
As of 2025, Coinbase operates the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange with over 108 million customers. It manages digital assets worth approximately US$516 billion across its platform.
Prosecutors charged former product manager Ishan Wahi with insider trading on the 22nd of July 2022. He allegedly shared advance listing details with his brother Nikhil Wahi and friend Sameer Ramani to profit over US$1.5 million from trades based on confidential information.