• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Exclusive

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief: Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

Financestock trading

Public, a stock trading app, gets a seven-figure check from Scott Galloway

Lucinda Shen
By
Lucinda Shen
Lucinda Shen
Down Arrow Button Icon
Lucinda Shen
By
Lucinda Shen
Lucinda Shen
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 25, 2020, 9:30 AM ET

The pandemic spawned several oddities of human behavior: toilet paper and sourdough starter kits flew off the shelves, and for whatever reason, so did shares of car-rental company, Hertz. The latter, in particular, garnered wide-spread disbelief. Why in the world would investors bet on a company that had just filed for bankruptcy, a move that would likely make its shares worthless? 

Pundits largely attributed the dynamic to amateur retail traders, including customers of Robinhood, who willingly played a game of hot potato in order to get rich quick even at the risk of catching the stock on its way down.

Should investors have been able to make the trade? In the opinion of Scott Galloway, there should have at least been more guardrails. On Tuesday, Public, a social stock trading app that recently put in more speed bumps in its app, said Galloway had made a seven figure investment in the company, boosting the company’s total funding up to $32 million compared the last announced $24 million figure in March. Public declined to give a specific figure on Galloway’s investment or specify its valuation, though CEO Leif Abraham says it represents an uptick valuation-wise compared to its most recent Series B round.

Galloway, known well for blunt and opinionated commentary on the tech industry, says he grew concerned that Robinhood had become “casino-like” and gamified, encouraging newer investors to trade when they had little knowledge of the markets. Confetti, for instance, would flit across the screen when a trade was completed. His worries only grew after retail traders bid up the price of Hertz, and a Robinhood trader, Alex Kearns, committed suicide thinking he had accrued a large debt by making a complex trade.

“I think online trading is a wonderful thing,” says Galloway, who previously sold his brand-research firm L2 to Gartner for $155 million in 2017, when asked about Robinhood late Monday. “But I think there is a larger metaphor here which is, if you think about big tech, it always starts out good. But then they start prioritizing scaling and shareholders over everything else. In the case of Robinhood, they put effectively put an 130 mph supercars in the hands of learners.”

It led to his investment in Public, which launched in September and has also raised funding from Accel and Greycroft.

Robinhood, for its part, has disputed that its platform is addictive, with a spokesperson saying: “It’s important to distinguish between the accessible, modern design of Robinhood and so-called gamification.”

While Public, a newer entrant, first billed itself as a way for users to make and share stock trades while following other users, it also publicized its decision to also halt the trading of Hertz shares after the company sought to raise millions in equity during its bankruptcy filing earlier this year.

It was the Hertz situation that kicked off a project to introduce “safety labels” within the company. A more risky, “micro-cap” stock based on Securities and Exchange Commission guidelines (a company with under $300 million in market cap) for instance would be labeled as such with a caution sign in Public’s app. Users hoping to buy a share of Hertz would also be directed to a pop up requiring that they slide slide and confirm that they plan to buys stock in a company undergoing restructuring.

“Most of these investors have little to no investing experience,” said Public CEO Leif Abraham. “So we believe we have a responsibility to not only accessibility… but also to putting the right safeguards in place.”

Though it doesn’t mean all risk is off.

In June, 20-year-old Robinhood trader Kearns committed suicide after his account mistakenly showed significant losses as a result of buying shares of companies through complex derivatives. Robinhood shortly thereafter pledged to change is platform, and reconsider the eligibility of users who planned to use more advanced trading strategies that involved debt—though it didn’t stop lawmakers from questioning whether the platform should have invoked more protections for users that had little experience investing.

Abraham says that Public too plans to introduce margin trading, or trading with borrowed funding, at some point in the future. However it plans to limit such trades to those who have shown a certain level of expertise given their past behavior on the app.

Public’s entrance comes as other brokerages have soared amid the pandemic: Robinhood has raised multiple times, pushing its valuation to $11.2 billion as consumers stuck indoors have embraced stock trading. Public says revenue has not necessarily grown explosively, though it has risen steadily by 160% quarter after quarter since September, according to Leif. He also notes that “we saw a lot more engagement during the pandemic.”

A change in opinion

In October, as WeWork was facing criticism over its initial public offering filing, Galloway wrote a post listing a number of overvalued unicorns he predicted could face an even more dramatic fall with valuations dropping more than 80%. WeWork was among the list, but so was Robinhood. At the time, Galloway noted, that all stock-brokerages including the largest were racing to zero-commissions, thereby eliminating a key differentiator between the competitors.

Fortune asked Galloway about the line of thought: After all, Public too is running on a zero-commission model, with revenue coming in part by routing orders to certain exchanges—so could it not too be disrupted as it plans to disrupt the existing titans? The professor was not shy about admitting being off the mark on Robinhood.

“I was wrong,” he said, pointing out that Robinhood had raised several times this year alone—though he notes that the risks of being in the highly competitive brokerage market still loom even for Public. “I get a lot of companies wrong, and it is hard to be right. So there is the risk that anyone could come in, and there is not guarantee.”

“We will see,” he says.

About the Author
Lucinda Shen
By Lucinda Shen
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

College graduates sitting at commencement yell.
AIEducation
College students are booing commencement speakers celebrating AI, but the wave of hate hasn’t stopped them from using it to cheat on their exams
By Sasha RogelbergMay 19, 2026
55 minutes ago
Environmental advocates and progressive lawmakers hold a rally in support of legislation that would put a moratorium on new data centers in the state on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y.
AIData centers
Americans’ AI hate wave might just be gathering steam: Data centers could hike power costs in some states over 50% by 2030
By Tristan BoveMay 19, 2026
2 hours ago
Mortgage rates today, May 19, 2026
Personal Financemortgages
Mortgage rates today, May 19, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganMay 19, 2026
2 hours ago
Current refi mortgage rates report for May 19, 2026
Personal Financemortgage rates
Current refi mortgage rates report for May 19, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganMay 19, 2026
2 hours ago
Current ARM mortgage rates report for May 19, 2026
Personal FinanceReal Estate
Current ARM mortgage rates report for May 19, 2026
By Glen Luke FlanaganMay 19, 2026
2 hours ago
How Coach became Gen Z’s favorite affordable luxury handbag brand
RetailFortune 500
How Coach became Gen Z’s favorite affordable luxury handbag brand
By Phil WahbaMay 19, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
7 days ago
While Trump insisted the Iran war would end ‘soon,’ an account in his name was buying millions in oil, defense and gold
Economy
While Trump insisted the Iran war would end ‘soon,’ an account in his name was buying millions in oil, defense and gold
By Eva RoytburgMay 18, 2026
14 hours ago
Current price of oil as of May 18, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 18, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 18, 2026
20 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE: An hour in the Oval Office with the CEO-in-Chief, President Trump
Politics
EXCLUSIVE: An hour in the Oval Office with the CEO-in-Chief, President Trump
By Alyson ShontellMay 18, 2026
1 day ago
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
3 days ago
Spirit Airlines apologizes to all the Americans who can't afford any summer vacation flights as it shuts down
Travel & Leisure
Spirit Airlines apologizes to all the Americans who can't afford any summer vacation flights as it shuts down
By Rio Yamat and The Associated PressMay 18, 2026
20 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.