Zerodha's Nikhil Kamath turns 40, brother Nithin recalls his connections from early age: 'Just tell the bouncer my name'

Zerodha founder and CEO Nithin Kamath marked his younger brother Nikhil Kamath’s 40th birthday with a childhood photograph, a few memories and a joke about a mix-up that has followed the brothers for years.

Sharing the throwback picture on X, Nithin recalled how people once regularly mistook Nikhil for him. But the situation appears to have changed in recent years, particularly after the success of Nikhil’s WTF podcast.

“For many years, people called Nikhil “Nithin.” But over the last 3–4 years, with the success of WTF, I’ve been called Nikhil exponentially more. Forget people just calling me Nikhil in person; I now get emails, LinkedIn messages, tweets, etc., addressed to Nikhil every day.😂​”

Nithin said the growing recognition was hardly surprising, given the role his younger brother had played since he was a teenager.

“This popularity was bound to happen. Right from when he was maybe 15 or 16, he was always the guy to go to for anything. He somehow always had connections, and the quality of those connections has only improved over time.”

He then recalled a particularly amusing example from their younger years.

"For example, if I wanted to go out drinking, I’d ask him where to go, and he’d say, “Go to these places. There won’t be an entry fee, just tell the bouncer my name.” 😂​"

The post eventually turned reflective, with Nithin admitting that his brother reaching the age of 40 made him think about his own age.

“But damn, I can’t believe he’s 40. For some reason, him turning 40 makes me feel so much older. 😬​ Happy 40th, Nikhil.”

Nikhil responded to his brother’s birthday message with two heart emojis.

‘Nikhil is better looking’

Just days before Nikhil’s birthday, a light-hearted exchange between Nithin and a Zerodha employee went viral.

Zerodha employee Dinesh Pai wrote on X: "Don't tell Nithin I said this, but Nikhil is better looking. Natural choice for these posts."

Nithin responded by joking that he had discovered a "disloyal member" on his team. He then said he had decided to change the photograph on his website and put Nikhil’s picture under his own name.

He shared a screenshot showing exactly that: Nithin’s professional biography appeared alongside a photograph of Nikhil.

The bio reads: "Nithin bootstrapped and founded Zerodha in 2010 to overcome the hurdles he faced during his decade-long stint as a trader. Today, Zerodha has changed the landscape of the Indian broking industry. He is a member of the SEBI Secondary Market Advisory Committee (SMAC) and the Market Data Advisory Committee (MDAC). Playing basketball is his zen."