Episode description

This week, I had the honor of interviewing Thomas Peterffy, the founder of Interactive Brokers, on The World According to Boyar podcast. Thomas’s life exemplifies the American Dream: When he came to the United States from Communist Hungary in 1965, virtually penniless and with no knowledge of English, he immediately began teaching himself computer programming while saving up for a seat on the American Stock Exchange. Using technological advances he himself helped pioneer, Thomas established a successful market-making business, paving the way for his biggest financial success: Interactive Brokers, which has a market capitalization north of $50 billion and where he is by far the biggest shareholder. Stay tuned for my discussion with Mr. Peterffy—I think you’ll find it as educational as it is inspiring.

The Interview Discusses:

• Thomas Peterffy’s background.
• Challenges of adapting to a new country and finding work.
• The immigrant mentality and its impact on success.
• The importance of rewarding merit in a free market economy.
• The value proposition Interactive Brokers brings to clients.
• Importance of maintaining a conservative balance sheet and excess capital.
• Future growth areas, including global markets and professional investors.
• Interactive Brokers’ unique position in the marketplace.
• The potential impact of future presidential administrations on business.
• Thomas’s decision to step down as CEO and focus on his role as chairman.
• The joy of building and improving the Interactive Brokers platform.

Biography:

Thomas Peterffy is founder and chairman of Interactive Brokers. A pioneer of digital trading in the 1980s, he was the first to build computer systems able to trade financial assets electronically, independent of direct human intervention. Born in Budapest, Hungary in 1944, he escaped communism in 1965 by emigrating to the United States. He learned computer programming, and his formula for pricing contingent assets was an early version of what is now known as the Black-Scholes model. In 1977, he became a member of the American Stock Exchange. Peterffy built the first automated market-making firm for stocks, options, and futures, which later gave rise to Interactive Brokers, a global, electronic broker with a market capitalization of  over $50 billion.

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