原文作者：Jeff John Roberts
Original source: Forbes
原文标题：The people who call the shots at Coinbase
编译：Luffy，Foresight News
Founded in 2012, Coinbase is a company founded by individuals with the goal of bringing cryptocurrencies to the mainstream world. Today, it has grown into a Fortune 500 company with billions of dollars in revenue and is a flagship brand in the crypto industry. Coinbase is still controlled by one person: CEO Brian Armstrong, who holds the majority of the company's voting equity and is the undisputed leader in strategic direction. But Armstrong isn't alone.
Over the past few years, Coinbase's leadership team has been more stable than ever, helping the company move forward amid the recent crypto winter and unprecedented regulatory challenges. Like many Silicon Valley companies, engineers enjoy a special status at Coinbase, and it is a challenge to earn Armstrong's attention and respect for those who don't create products. Still, as the list below shows, the seven people who wield the most power at Coinbase come from all corners of the company.
The list is inspired by a similar list from five years ago, and it's based not only on Coinbase's official org chart, but also on more than a decade of research on the company and interviews with multiple people close to the C-suite.
首席运营官 Emilie Choi
Choi has made a name for himself in the corporate world with years of working as an executive at LinkedIn. After joining Coinbase in 2018, she quickly made her mark on the company, managing dozens of acquisitions. Employees and other executives are divided on Choi, who fears that Choi is a ruthless manipulator who has fired a large number of former employees, but no one doubts her influence. Choi is involved in all of the company's major decisions, and Armstrong listens to Choi, who trusts him to confide in her.
1000-1000 Aesia Haas
Haas, another senior lieutenant to Armstrong, is a more reserved person who is widely respected for her steady abilities. Haas, a former banker, joined Coinbase in 2018 to lead the company through an IPO, which made her and other executives incredibly wealthy. She defines what it means to be a CFO in a cryptocurrency company, a position that is similar to the CFO of a traditional company, but also very different. She has also earned Armstrong's trust and confidence.
首席法律官 Paul Grewal
Grewal is a former federal judge well-versed in social media, and before joining Coinbase, he helped Facebook navigate legal incidents over various privacy scandals. His vast experience has proven invaluable at Coinbase. He joined Coinbase in 2020 at a time when the SEC and other regulators were beginning to adopt a scorched-earth policy toward the cryptocurrency industry. Grewal, a tireless executive who regularly travels around the country, oversees high-stakes litigation between Coinbase and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which some predict will go to the Supreme Court and push the legislative process for the cryptocurrency industry.
Max Branzburg, Vice President and Head of Consumer Products
In 2018, Branzburg joined Coinbase as a "typical Googler," a non-native of the crypto space. Still, he quickly became a formidable product executive, with company employees crediting him for keeping the once notorious retail platform running smoothly. Branzburg was also known for his shrewd political maneuvers, and both Armstrong and Choi listened to him.
Greg Tusar, Head of Institutional Products
Tusar joined Coinbase in 2020 after decades of experience in the financial sector, including 13 years as a partner at Goldman Sachs. He is considered the "brainman behind futures," and the new derivatives platform has already generated huge profits for Coinbase and has been key to the company's long-standing need to diversify its revenue streams beyond retail.
Shan Aggarwal, Vice President of Corporate and Business Development
Aggarwal is a low-profile executive at Coinbase, and his colleagues consider him popular and capable. He joined Coinbase from Greycroft, a well-known venture capital firm, which brings valuable experience to his current role, helping him manage partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, and Coinbase Ventures. Aggarwal was also instrumental in leading the company through the IPO process, and he is expected to rise through the ranks.
Base 工程师 Jesse Pollak
Pollak doesn't have an executive title, but he has considerable soft power at Coinbase due to his in-depth knowledge of cryptocurrencies and helping launch the Base blockchain, one of the most successful products in the cryptocurrency space in recent years. He attended a recent event with Armstrong and has a large following in the cryptocurrency space. Pollak is a slightly clumsy crypto native who cares most about the product, qualities that can also be used to describe Coinbase's early CEOs.