Have you ever heard of the Winklevoss brothers? Here's the story — two Americans who first competed at the Olympics, then sued Zuckerberg, and now they are billionaires in the crypto space 🪙

Let's start with the Facebook scandal. The Winklevoss twins — Cameron and Tyler — created ConnectU, a social network, but Zuckerberg allegedly stole their idea for Facebook. The lawsuit was high-profile, and they ended up receiving $65 million in 2008. A movie about it was even made — "The Social Network" starring Armie Hammer.

Before that, they were Olympic athletes — rowers who competed for the USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, finishing in sixth place. But crypto attracted them much more.

Here's where it gets interesting. After settling with Facebook, the Winklevoss brothers invested some of their money in Bitcoin when it was still relatively unknown. Now, they hold one of the largest BTC reserves in the world. In 2014, they launched Gemini — one of the most reliable crypto exchanges in the US. They added their stablecoin Gemini Dollar, NFT trading, and more.

Today, the Winklevoss brothers are active Bitcoin advocates. They constantly lobby for Bitcoin ETF approval in the US so that traditional investors can enter crypto more easily. They speak at conferences, appear in the media, and promote blockchain.

As of 2026, they are billionaires — mainly thanks to early investments in BTC and Gemini. The price of Bitcoin is currently $67,780 with a 1.51% increase over the past 24 hours, and the Winklevoss brothers remain some of the most prominent voices in the industry.

They also engage in NFTs and digital art. Overall, their journey from rowing and lawsuits with Zuckerberg to crypto billionaires is truly an inspiring story about how early entry at the right time can pay off.