I don't buy the author's argument that "everyone is doing it" doesn't hold water. The author mentions Interactive Brokers and Vanguard, the first being a HFT ha

I don't buy the author's argument that "everyone is doing it" doesn't hold water. The author mentions Interactive Brokers and Vanguard, the first being a HFT haven and the second being a non-profit. When Robinhood first came out, I suspected they were skimming on the bid-ask spread, and that appears to essentially be the case, just through a third party. Running trades isn't free, so I don't think it would surprise anyone that they found another way to make money. And it just so happens that it's pretty much the same thing most other brokerages do. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't really see anything nefarious going on.