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Douglas Cifu

Co-Founder & Advisor, Virtu Financial

Search every verified Douglas Cifu interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Douglas Cifu, co-founder and CEO of Virtu Financial, appeared on the podcast "Stratospheric Leaders" in April 2025. He discussed his career path from landscaping and caddying as a teenager to practicing law and co-founding Virtu Financial with Vinnie Viola. Cifu said he initially knew "nothing about financial markets" but believed he could "run something" due to his confidence, decision-making, and ability to get along with people. He credited a mentor who introduced him to industry leaders like Terry Duffy and Bob Greifeld for helping him become "an industry leader." Cifu described the origin of the firm's name, saying he wanted to call it "Virtue Financial" because "everything we do, we're going to be virtuous" and "there's no gray." He criticized some public company CEOs for taking actions that are "not core or fundamental to the firm" due to pressure to perform. Cifu also noted that in 17 years, he has rarely bid against people after undervaluing them, saying it has happened "less than the fingers on one of my hands." He advised young people to prioritize health, stating, "There's always time for the term sheet... There's not always time for your health."

Recent appearances

Notable quotes

“I think what ends up happening with a lot of CEOs, particularly a lot of public company CEOs, because they have pressure on them to perform and grow and they worry about stock prices and all this kind of stuff, they do things that are just like not core or fundamental to the firm and do things that don't make a lot of sense, frankly.”

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