Tai Lopez
Taino Adrian Lopez | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 11, 1977 |
| Education | North Carolina State University (dropped out) |
| Occupation | Self-help promotor |
| Known for | Creating and promoting '67 steps' business course |
| Website | www |
Taino Adrian Lopez, also known as Tai Lopez,[1] (born 1977) is an American self-help guru. Lopez went viral in 2015 for an advertisement for his online business course, in which he showed off a Lamborghini while also chastising materialism in favor of knowledge.
In 2019, Lopez co-founded an investment firm and holding company which acquired intellectual property of brick-and-mortar stores on the decline, which would be subject in 2025 to a lawsuit by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission alleging it was a Ponzi scheme and an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Early life and education
[edit]Tai Lopez was born in Fullerton, California in 1977. His father, a body builder, was arrested for distributing cocaine.[2] Lopez grew up in Long Beach, taking various odd jobs across the United States to earn money.[2] He attended North Carolina State University for a semester before dropping out.[3] From there, he worked in financial-services division of General Electric and had created several dating websites.[2][4]
Career
[edit]In 2014, he created an online business course named "67 Steps to Success", which he described as "learning the 67 steps to become a millionaire, how to live the good life and the grand theory of everything." The course, which cost $67 a month, was criticized for not allowing cancellations and promoting upselling.[2][4] One of the advertisements for the course, "Here In My Garage", which extolled the virtues of knowledge over materialism while also showing off his Lamborghini, became viral, prompting parodies and spoofs.[2][4] Lopez also hosted influencer parties at a Beverly Hills mansion, with billionaire Mark Cuban visited Lopez one time in 2015.[5] In early 2022, Lopez launched a line of NFTs, which critics alleged involved siphoning out funds as soon as an NFT was minted.[6]
During the late 2000s, Lopez met Alex Mehr, a co-founder of the dating app Zoosk.[7] Mehr and Lopez initially collaborated by creating MentorBox, a book shipping club, in 2016,[3] but in November 2019, the two founded Retail Ecommerce Ventures LLC, with Lopez serving as the chief executive officer.[2] The company was an investment firm and holding company which seeked to pay "discount prices" for the intellectual property of declining brands with brick-and-mortar stores.[7] Using this strategy, the company acquired companies such as Pier 1 Imports, Radio Shack, and Modell's Sporting Goods.[8] To finance these acquisitions, the company raised $230 million from at least 660 investors. However, the payments to investors stopped by December 2022.[5]
Legal issues
[edit]On September 22, 2025, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against Ecommerce Ventures, alleging that the company was a $112 million Ponzi scheme.[8] They stated that many of the companies ran by Ecommerce Ventures were highly unprofitable, causing Lopez to use new investor's funds to pay older investors. They also alleged that Mehr and Lopez embezzled tens of millions of dollars for personal uses.[2] The Federal Bureau of Investigation started contacting investors as part of a criminal investigation, although no charges have been filed as of February 2026.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Taino Adrian Lopez, Alexander Farhang Mehr, and Maya Rose Burkenroad". United States Securities and Exchange Commission. September 25, 2025. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g Stieb, Matt (October 6, 2025). "'Do You Believe I'm a Scam? Haha'". Intelligencer. New York Magazine. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b Al-Muslim, Aisha (August 25, 2020). "Pair of Entrepreneurs Aim to Refashion Zombie Retailers Into Online Powerhouses". The Wall Street Journal. ProQuest 2436917717. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
- ^ a b c Caffier, Justin (September 14, 2015). "Inside the Garage of the Internet's Most Hated Self-Help Guru". VICE. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
- ^ a b c Kapner, Suzanne; Gladstone, Alexander (February 10, 2026). "He Vowed to Revive RadioShack and Pier 1. Investors Say They Were Swindled". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ Binder, Matt (June 29, 2022). "RadioShack's Twitter account wasn't hacked. It's just an 'edgy' crypto store now". Mashable. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
- ^ a b Miranda, Leticia (August 7, 2020). "Meet the tiny company snapping up iconic American brands who have been 'victim to the times'". NBC News. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
- ^ a b Cerullo, Megan (September 26, 2025). "Buyers of Radio Shack, Pier 1 Imports and other brands accused of running $112 million Ponzi scheme". CBS News. Retrieved February 9, 2026.