Cathie Wood buys $13.4 million of surprising tech stock originally appeared on TheStreet.
Cathie Wood didn’t name-drop it, but her massive $13.4 million bet on low-profile robotaxi stock sent a quiet signal across the autonomy space.
Though Tesla and Waymo come to mind when you think of robotaxis, ARK Invest is placing its chips elsewhere.
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This under-the-radar bet isn’t just testing driverless cars; it’s already in the game in the world’s busiest cities.
At this point, it is one of the clearest pure-plays on robotaxis going commercial, and Wood’s massive trades might say more than she’s letting on.
Cathie Wood’s all-in on robotaxis, and she views it as one of the clearest long-term plays out there.
In ARK’s playbook, autonomy is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, turning point-to-point travel into a software platform. Its Big Ideas 2025 report models robotaxis running at just 25 cents per mile at scale.
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That could become a game-changer from today’s prices, driving mass adoption.
ARK sees 2025 to 2030 as a critical commercialization window. By the decade’s end, it projects a global fleet of nearly 50 million robotaxis, with Tesla and Waymo expected to claim the lion’s share.
The long-term payoff is tremendous; ARK’s deck sketches a whopping $34 trillion in enterprise value if the ramp occurs.
Additionally, Wood calls Tesla’s push “the largest (applied) AI project on earth,” underscoring the strength of its data flywheel, safety edge, and the ability to undercut human ride-hailing.
Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest shelled out $13.37 million on August 12, scooping up shares of Chinese robotaxi upstart Pony.ai.
For Wood, Pony.ai represents the cleanest “pure-play” bet in autonomy.
What sets Pony.ai apart from the rest is that it’s hitting two key levers, including fully driverless operations and manufacturable scale. On top of that, it’s doing it in highly conducive places that show a strong appetite for robotaxis.
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For instance, last month, the company landed a marquee win, where it got the green light to run fully driverless, fare-charging rides in Shanghai’s Pudong core. That’s a major stamp of approval in one of the busiest urban zones in China.
Moreover, Pony claims to be the only provider running fully driverless robotaxis in all four of China’s tier-one cities. At the same time, it’s ramping its next-generation Gen-7 vehicles into mass production with 200+ already built, and 1,000 targeted by the end of the year.
Hardware costs are dropping at an encouraging pace as well. Pony says its latest self-driving tech is roughly 70% cheaper, which brings the cost down to roughly $41,000 per vehicle.
On top of that, they’re also getting a lot more efficient, with just one remote assistant needed for every 30 cars.
It’s also building city-by-city, working with local partners and regulators. Moreover, it’s tapping into Uber’s powerful aggregator platform for overseas expansion, including Middle East pilots shifting into high gear.
On the back of the recent positive developments, Pony.ai stock is up 12.45% in the past month, but roughly flat YTD (+0.07%).
That said, Cathie Wood might see asymmetric upside in Pony stock compared to diversified names like Tesla, aligning well with ARK’s autonomy mega-theme.
In addition to the Pony.ai stake, Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest made other eye-catching moves on August 12, dumping a hot defense stock while doubling down on flying cars.
ARK dumped $18.49 million worth of Kratos Defense stock, after it surged close to 17% post-earnings. Kratos hit a new 52-week high, and Wood will have sensed an opportunity to lock in gains.
At the same time, she kept the innovation bets rolling.
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ARK added $3.15 million to Archer Aviation, a frontrunner of the flying car industry, which has been riding a wave of investor interest. Across ARKK, ARKQ, and ARKX, the funds scooped up 330,122 shares of Archer.
It’s still pre-revenue, but Archer’s sitting on a colossal $1.70 billion in its cash till, making big bets on commercial air taxis and military aircraft.
Elsewhere, Wood’s biotech buying spree continued.
ARK dropped $1.83 million in Caris Life Sciences, $2.45 million in Illumina, and $1 million in Exact Sciences.
Conversely, she trimmed more from Guardant Health, selling $5.88 million, and cut $7 million from Natera.
These developments show Wood is reshuffling the deck, trimming into rallies, while sticking with high-upside conviction plays.
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Cathie Wood buys $13.4 million of surprising tech stock first appeared on TheStreet on Aug 13, 2025
This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.