Citi and RobinHood use AI to automate huge amounts of software development
AI coders are rapidly over taking companies, but the risks are great.
Key takeaways
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption for teams in financial services has been surging, but its impact at $88bn fintech Robinhood has been cloudy, until now.
- Speaking on the 20VC Podcast, CEO Vlad Tenev revealed that AI writes roughly half the new code produced at the brokerage.
- Will Robinhood's AI adoption impact hiring? Perhaps not, as the fintech has always had a lean headcount relative to its size and revenues.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2025) 'Citi and RobinHood use AI to automate huge amounts of software development', 311 Institute, 1 September. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/citi-and-robinhood-use-ai-to-automate-huge-amounts-of-software-development/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption for teams in financial services has been surging, but its impact at $88bn fintech Robinhood has been cloudy, until now. Speaking on the 20VC Podcast, CEO Vlad Tenev revealed that AI writes roughly half the new code produced at the brokerage.
It could be more than half, Tenev said "it's difficult to tell with these agentic AI systems." He said Robinhood has ditched "autocomplete" AI tools like GitHub Copilot for newer platforms like Cursor and Windsurf, where "all of the code is written by AI." Adoption of AI tools at Robinhood is close to 100%, he said, noting that "it's hard to even determine what the human generated code is."
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Tenev is, however, cautious about fully embracing AI for all coding tasks. "There's still a problem with hallucinations and there's a lot of work that needs to be done to scaffold against that," he says.
Will Robinhood's AI adoption impact hiring? Perhaps not, as the fintech has always had a lean headcount relative to its size and revenues. Regardless of AI, Tenev said he wants Robinhood staff to be "executing relentlessly."
In more traditional finance, AI appears to be having an impact on hiring. Citi revealed in its Q2 earnings presentation that a new AI tool had cut 100,000 hours of developer time; coincidentally, the bank also increased its severance payments due to its "realignment of the technology workforce."
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Why does this matter?
AI coders are rapidly over taking companies, but the risks are great.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- CEO Vlad Tenev efinancialcareers.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 1 September 2025. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2025). Citi and RobinHood use AI to automate huge amounts of software development. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/citi-and-robinhood-use-ai-to-automate-huge-amounts-of-software-development/
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