Winklevoss Brothers: Two Key Decisions That Changed Everything

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss are identical twins born on August 21, 1981, in Greenwich, Connecticut. They displayed extraordinary talent from a young age, teaching themselves HTML at the age of 13 to build websites for local businesses, and founded their first internet company during their teenage years. While in school, they co-founded the rowing program and excelled in the sport.

In 2000, the two brothers entered Harvard University to major in economics. They achieved great success in rowing, helping the Harvard team win several important competitions in 2004. However, their most significant discovery occurred outside of campus. In December 2002, they conceived a social networking project called HarvardConnection (later renamed ConnectU).

To realize this vision, they approached Mark Zuckerberg for help in October 2003. Initially, everything went smoothly, but in January 2004, Zuckerberg registered the domain thefacebook.com and launched Facebook, which made the Winklevoss brothers feel betrayed.

Subsequently, ConnectU sued Facebook, accusing Zuckerberg of stealing their ideas. This legal battle lasted four years and ultimately reached a settlement in 2008. During the settlement process, the Winklevoss brothers made a crucial decision: they chose to accept Facebook stock instead of cash compensation. This decision ultimately made their $45 million worth of stock valued at nearly $500 million when Facebook went public in 2012.

At the same time, the two brothers achieved great success in their sports careers. They participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and finished sixth in the men's lightweight double sculls event.

In 2013, the Winklevoss brothers made another life-changing decision. When the price of Bitcoin was only $100, they invested $11 million to buy about 100,000 Bitcoins. This decision made their investment worth over $1 billion when the price of Bitcoin reached $20,000 in 2017, making them one of the first confirmed Bitcoin billionaires in the world.

In addition to investing, they are also committed to building cryptocurrency infrastructure. In 2014, they founded the Gemini exchange, one of the first regulated cryptocurrency exchanges in the United States. By 2021, Gemini's valuation reached $7.1 billion.

The Winklevoss brothers have invested in multiple cryptocurrency projects through Winklevoss Capital and are actively involved in regulatory discussions. They believe that for cryptocurrency to become mainstream, a clear compliance framework must be established.

Currently, the brothers' net worth is estimated to be around $9 billion, most of which comes from their Bitcoin holdings. They stated that they would not sell even if Bitcoin's market value reaches that of gold, demonstrating their strong belief in the future of Bitcoin.

The story of the Winklevoss brothers showcases their extraordinary insight and ability to seize opportunities. From Facebook stocks to Bitcoin investments, their decisions have changed the trajectory of their lives and left a profound mark in the technology and finance sectors.