You've probably seen ANATOLY, whose real name is Vladimir Shmondenko, go viral for his hilarious gym pranks.
He entertains more than 21 million followers on TikTok and 8.5 million on YouTube by pretending to be a cleaner before lifting impossibly heavy weights. You can also find him on Instagram.
So, who’s the man behind the mop? Let's explore his background, rise to fame, and what makes him stand out as a creator.
How old is ANATOLY?
The man behind the viral pranks was born back in 1981. That makes him 44 years old in 2025!
Where is ANATOLY from?
Believe it or not, ANATOLY is originally from Ukraine!
He and his family moved to the United States way back in the early nineties.
ANATOLY's family and personal life
When he's not lifting crazy weights, ANATOLY is a family man. He has been married to his wife, Laura Skelton, since 2013.
The couple lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he loves to surf and cycle in his downtime.
ANATOLY's journey as a creator
Anatoly's journey is a wild ride, mixing his incredible strength with some serious brainpower that led to massive success beyond social media.
- Long before the gym pranks, he was a teen who loved coding. He even co-founded his first tech startup, which focused on internet-based phone calls.
- He spent over a decade working at huge tech companies like Qualcomm before deciding to build his own project, the super-fast blockchain known as Solana.
- These days, he’s still the CEO of Solana and has become an active investor, backing dozens of other new tech and finance companies.
- Get this: his breakthrough idea for Solana reportedly came to him at four in the morning, fueled by two coffees and a beer.
What kinds of followers does ANATOLY have?
A huge chunk of his audience is the younger crowd, mostly teens and young adults who can't get enough of his viral gym pranks. They're all about fitness, humor, and watching him surprise people with his insane strength.
But then you've got a totally different group of fans who are fascinated by his tech side and his work with Solana. These are the people interested in blockchain, startups, and how he built his empire from the ground up.
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