cass
The cat behind the cashcat meme. Vlad Tenev was going to name Robinhood after him.
In 2017 Vlad Tenev wrote a book about his life and how he created Robinhood. In it he describes a ginger cat named Cass whose eyes glowed green at night — the color of cash — so he wanted to call him Cashcat. That is the name he was going to put on Robinhood. The book points to his cousin’s Flickr post from 2011, when Vlad was 15. He is 35 now. The post is still up.
01
The 2017 post
On July 4, 2017 at 10:07 PM, @vladtenev posted: “Read this book.”
02
The book
The book is Algorithm of Ambition The Vlad Tenev Journey: Democratizing Markets, Shaping Technology. It covers his life and how he created Robinhood.
03
Chapter Five: Childhood and Cass
In the book he writes about childhood and a ginger cat named Cass. He says his cousin handed him the cat in 2011, when he was fifteen, and posted photos on Flickr later that year. At night Cass’s eyes caught the light and glowed bright green, the exact color of cash. He joked he should have called the cat Cashcat. That is the name he was going to give Robinhood.
“His eyes would catch the light at night and glow this bright green, the exact color of cash. I used to joke I should have called him Cashcat.”
04
The 2011 Flickr post
The cousin’s account is Lil_Uae. The photo is titled “Cat needs a Family ;)” — taken April 25, 2011, uploaded April 26, 2011. A ginger cat looks out from the cat house. Vlad would have been 15.
flickr.com/photos/56882297@N05/5655930781
- Account
- Lil_Uae
- Taken
- April 25, 2011
- Uploaded
- April 26, 2011
- Vlad’s age
- 15 then · 35 now
