Hello, I'm C. NBC producer Katie Kramer. This is a Squawk Pod bonus edition.

Robin Hood returns CEO Vlad Tenev.

I know how Clorox and Lysol felt at the beginning of the pandemic when they couldn't provide enough

hand sanitizer and wipes to shoppers and these are unprecedented times.

The free trading brokerage facing backlash over the decision to limit buying of the heavily shorted stocks popular with a virtual army of Reddit reading retail investors.

This has been unprecedented activity, concentrated in a few names, and it's really the first time that I've seen where social media and financial services have intersected in this way.

Just two days after our last interview, financial services have intersected in this way.

Just two days after our last interview with Tenev,

he returns to make a few things clear

about the decision that has everyone talking.

We absolutely did not do this at the direction of any market maker or

hedge fund or anyone we route to or other market participants. The trading frenzy

and the surprising cast, gamers, hedges, farstool nation,

creditors and Robin Hood. This bonus squawk pod begins right after this.

This is Squawk Pod from CNBC. Today on the podcast Robin Hood's roller coaster ride and a new interview from the

company CEO trying to slow things down. The popular free brokerage app has

experienced unprecedented high volume of trading as, well,

Reddit reading retail traders pile into a few highly shorted stocks in a move organized in part on the irreverent Wall Street Betts

subreddit. The volume was so overwhelming in companies you've been hearing about

maybe again after a few years Game Stop, AMC, blackberry and nokia that Robin Hood suspended

trading in those stocks on Thursday. Wow the reaction to this move was

swift and surprising both Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Senator

...