Sports Champions Turned Encryption Giants: The Legendary Lives of the Winklevoss Brothers

At a crucial moment, Tyler Winklevoss looked at his twin brother Cameron and then said to the lawyers, "We choose stocks." This decision changed the course of their lives forever.

The Winklevoss brothers were born in 1981 in Greenwich, Connecticut, and are identical twins. They showed extraordinary talent from a young age, self-teaching HTML to build websites for local businesses at the age of 13. During their time in school, they discovered the sport of rowing and established the rowing program at their school.

In 2000, the two brothers entered Harvard University to major in economics. They achieved great success in rowing, helping the Harvard team win multiple championships. In 2002, they conceived a social networking project called HarvardConnection, which was later renamed ConnectU.

To realize this idea, they turned to Mark Zuckerberg for help. However, Zuckerberg ultimately launched Facebook, which triggered a four-year legal battle. When a settlement was reached in 2008, the brothers chose Facebook shares instead of cash, a decision that earned them nearly $500 million when Facebook went public in 2012.

In 2013, a chance encounter introduced them to Bitcoin. They quickly realized the potential of Bitcoin and invested $11 million to purchase approximately 100,000 Bitcoins. This bold decision brought them over $1 billion in returns when the price of Bitcoin soared in 2017.

The two brothers did not stop there. They established the Gemini exchange, one of the first regulated cryptocurrency exchanges in the United States. They also invested in multiple cryptocurrency projects through Winklevoss Capital, making significant contributions to the development of the entire industry.

Today, the Winklevoss brothers have a net worth of approximately $9 billion, most of which comes from their Bitcoin investments. They continue to push for the mainstreaming of cryptocurrency, including donating Bitcoin to political candidates and investing in soccer clubs.

From Olympic rowing athletes to cryptocurrency giants, the legendary life of the Winklevoss brothers showcases their extraordinary insight and adventurous spirit. They not only seized opportunities but also shaped the future of an emerging industry.