Coinbase

Office address: 1090 Dr. Maya Angelou Lane, Mission Rock, San Francisco, CA 94158
Website: coinbase.com
Year established: 2012
Company type: financial services
Employees: 4,200+
Expertise: cryptocurrency trading, staking, safekeeping, crypto payments, global transfers, onchain infrastructure, regulatory compliance, institutional services, digital asset custody, crypto advocacy
Parent company: N/A
Key people: Brian Armstrong (CEO), Emilie Choi (COO), Alesia Haas (CFO), L.J. Brock (chief people officer), Paul Grewal (chief legal officer), Gregory Tusar and Max Branzburg (VPs)
Financing status: corporation

Coinbase is a public company based in San Francisco, known for its large remote-first team and global reach. The firm serves more than 100 countries and has over 4,200 people, offering trading, staking, and global transfers of crypto assets, among others. Its mission is to give over a billion people more economic freedom by providing secure crypto infrastructure and supporting onchain innovation.

History of Coinbase

Coinbase Global, Inc. was founded in June 2012 by Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam. Armstrong was a former Airbnb programmer, while Ehrsam worked as a trader at Goldman Sachs.

They wanted to make buying and storing bitcoin simple for everyone. Their shared vision set the stage for what would become one of the world’s most recognized crypto companies.

Early growth and big backers

The platform’s easy-to-use design helped it grow quickly in its first years. At first, users could only buy and sell bitcoin using bank transfers.

In 2013, Coinbase caught the attention of major investors and secured $25 million from Andreessen Horowitz, Union Square Ventures, and Ribbit Capital. This was one of the largest investments in a crypto firm at the time.

Coinbase going public

The company expanded its offerings by adding new cryptocurrencies and services for both individuals and institutions. By 2017, the crypto market was booming and bitcoin’s price soared to $19,000.

It became one of the busiest platforms as millions of new users joined. In April 2021, Coinbase made headlines by going public on Nasdaq under the ticker COIN, marking a milestone for the crypto industry.

A new chapter in San Francisco

After years as a remote-first company, Coinbase made news again in 2025 by leasing 150,000 square feet in San Francisco’s Mission Rock. This move came four years after closing its original headquarters at 430 California St. The new office is now the company’s largest, though it remains committed to a decentralized and remote-first approach.

Coinbase’s products and services 

Coinbase offers a broad suite of crypto products for individuals, businesses, and institutions. The platform is recognized for secure infrastructure, wide asset selection, and advanced tools for retail and professional users:

For individuals

• buy and sell: simple crypto trading for users
• Base App: manage digital assets in one place
• Coinbase One: subscription with extra trading features
• debit card: spend crypto assets directly

For businesses

• asset listings: support for listing new cryptocurrencies
• payments: accept and process crypto payments
• commerce: tools for merchants to accept crypto

For institutions

• Prime: institutional-grade trading and custody platform
• staking: earn rewards through institutional staking
• Exchange: high-liquidity trading for large clients
• Verified Pools: secure pools for institutional staking

For developers

• Developer Platform: APIs for building crypto solutions
• Embedded Wallets: wallet integration for apps
• Trade API: programmatic trading and investment access
• Onramp and Offramp: convert between crypto and fiat

Coinbase is also known for strong compliance, global reach, and support for both new and experienced crypto users. The company provides strong security features and continues to expand its digital asset offerings.

Culture and corporate values

Coinbase states that its culture is shaped by its mission to boost global economic freedom and guide daily choices. Below are specific principles and behaviors that they value:

• championship team
• top talent
• customer focus
• repeatable innovation
• positive energy
• mission first
• clear communication
• efficient execution
• act like an owner
• continuous learning

According to Coinbase, its work environment challenges people to excel and rewards those who meet high standards. It also offers:

• pay transparency: clear salary ranges and bonus eligibility
• equity and benefits: stock options, medical, dental, vision, and 401(k)
• application policy: up to four job applications every 30 days
• equal opportunity: fair consideration for all qualified applicants
• inclusive hiring: welcomes candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences
• reasonable accommodations: support for applicants with disabilities

Coinbase describes itself as apolitical and focused on its mission, avoiding unrelated activism at work. The company states most roles are remote-first, with some in-person events to encourage collaboration. High expectations for results are set, and top performers receive strong rewards, while underperformance leads to a generous severance.

About CEO Brian Armstrong and key people

Brian Armstrong is the CEO and co-founder of Coinbase. He also co-founded NewLimit, a company focused on increasing human healthspan using epigenetic reprogramming.

Before these roles, Armstrong worked as a technical product manager at Airbnb. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from Rice University.

Here are some of the key people leading Coinbase:

• Emilie Choi, president and COO, is known for driving company growth and partnerships
• Alesia Haas, as CFO, manages financial operations and public company reporting
• L.J. Brock is chief people officer and focuses on talent and workplace culture
• Paul Grewal is chief legal officer and oversees legal, compliance, and regulatory matters
• Gregory Tusar is VP for institutional product, developing solutions for institutional crypto clients
• Max Branzburg is VP for product and manages product strategy and user experience

The leadership team is focused on increasing economic freedom worldwide and supporting Coinbase’s global mission.

The future at Coinbase

In 2025, Coinbase played a central role in challenging the SEC’s lawsuit, which accused the company of running an unregistered securities platform. The case began in 2023 as part of a wider regulatory crackdown after the FTX collapse. By defending its business model and winning a likely dismissal, the firm helped set a possible example for resolving future regulatory disputes.

The company also supported its users by joining a Supreme Court challenge against the IRS’s demand for customer data. The firm resisted the summons as long as possible to protect user privacy before complying with the court order. This shows its ongoing efforts to balance regulatory demands with its clients’ privacy, which remains important as digital asset oversight evolves.