The crypto show The Rollup reported that Katie Perry, Chief Marketing Officer of Zero Hash, shared an old story about Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev: during the retail trading frenzy against Robinhood, he appeared on a Los Angeles podcast to explain himself, only to find out years later that both hosts were under the influence of hallucinogens throughout the show.

Perry's point is not the story itself. She stated that this is what truly reaching retail users looks like, which is completely different from talking to institutional investors. She also mentioned that Vlad and the Robinhood team have done well over the years in adjusting their communication style. The show did not provide the podcast's name, airing date, or the hosts' names.

The public context aligns with the GameStop frenzy in January 2021. At that time, Robinhood restricted buying, and retail traders interpreted the decision as siding with hedge funds. Tenev later appeared on television and podcasts to explain margin and clearing pressures. Zuckerberg, Musk, and Benioff had contacted him during the turmoil. It is unclear if the specific podcast mentioned by Perry is the same one where buying restrictions were discussed.

The Rollup had just aired an interview with Tenev on September 30, covering topics like the upcoming new market, daily $1 billion perpetual contract trading volume on Robinhood Chain, and claims of becoming the preferred chain for developers within two months. Perry's old story was included in the same episode's discussion on retail outreach, not as a new product launch.

Zero Hash is a crypto and stablecoin infrastructure company, and Perry is responsible for marketing. She used this story to contrast two types of audiences: institutions want explanations about risk, clearing, and compliance, while retail wants to see the person involved appear on the shows they are already listening to. The hallucinogen detail is a retelling, not a public confirmation from Robinhood or the two hosts.

This is narrative circulation, not trading. The narrator is Zero Hash's marketing head and the crypto show, while the subject is the founder of Robinhood. Attention is shifting from institutional roadshows to retail podcasts. The beneficiaries are brokerage platforms that can explain crises through retail channels; the ones under pressure are institutions that only speak to funds and regulators and are absent from retail shows. The story does not name the program, the flow of funds has not changed, but what has changed is that retail channels are now seen as audiences that must be managed separately.

Source: Public information