Electric vehicle maker Tesla is set to host an Investor Day presentation at 3:00 local time in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday. CEO Elon Musk promised to share his “Master Plan 3,” and to discuss how Tesla plans to scale up in the face of increasing competition.
Musk wrote in a tweet on Feb. 7, 2023, “Master Plan 3, the path to a fully sustainable energy future for Earth will be presented on March 1. The future is bright!”
His ambitious Master Plan Part Deux was published in 2016, and has not been completely fulfilled. It included four main objectives:
“Create stunning solar roofs with seamlessly integrated battery storage”
“Expand the electric vehicle product line to address all major segments”
“Develop a self-driving capability that is 10X safer than manual via massive fleet learning”
“Enable your car to make money for you when you aren’t using it”
On Twitter, Tesla notified shareholders that its presentation will be available live on YouTube, where the company has traditionally streamed its events, but also on Twitter itself.
Musk acquired the San Francisco-based social media company for around $44 billion in October 2022, selling around $23 billion worth of his Tesla shares in part to finance the deal. He may reveal more details about how the two plan to work together moving forward.
As CNBC previously reported, Musk has authorized a myriad of Tesla, SpaceX and Boring Co. execs and engineers to work for him at Twitter.
Ahead of the 2023 Investor Day, at a press conference on Tuesday, Mexico president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Tesla had agreed to build a large factory in Monterrey, Mexico. He said Tesla agreed to use recycled water and take other initiatives to cope with water-scarcity in the region.
The company is expected to reveal more about this and its other facilities, including its Shanghai plant, and the newer factories in Austin, Texas and outside of Berlin.
Investors are wondering whether and when Tesla will finally deliver a new, more affordable electric vehicle, and when the company may finally fulfill its longstanding promise of driverless technology.
In 2020, at a Tesla Battery Day event, Musk teased the possibility of both, saying: “About three years from now, we’re confident we can make a very compelling $25,000 electric vehicle that’s also fully autonomous.”
Musk has been promising a truly self-driving car since 2016. The company still has not completed the cross-country, driverless demo Musk then said would be possible by the end of 2017.
In February, the federal vehicle safety regulators in the US and Tesla announced a voluntary recall of 362,758 vehicles. In a safety recall notice, Tesla and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warned that the driver-assistance software, marketed as Full Self-Driving Beta, may cause Tesla vehicles to disobey traffic laws and could cause crashes. (The company plans to deliver a fix via an over-the-air software update.)
Despite the company’s delays on driverless tech, Tesla shares have rebounded from declines during 2022, and are up more than 60% for the year so far.
According to Ortex, a short interest tracker, “After delivering $4.5 billion in profits to short sellers in January, TSLA’s 19% rise in February has helped pile on losses for TSLA bears. ORTEX estimates that TSLA shorts incurred $3 billion in losses for February, the biggest short loss of the month by a meaningful margin (#2 was NVDA with a $1.5 billion loss for shorts).”
Mizuho Securities analysts maintained a buy rating on shares of Tesla ahead of Investor Day, seeing Tesla in a leadership position in a growing market for fully electric vehicles. They wrote, in a note earlier this week, “Near-term, we see continued strength in TSLA’s market share, but see cheaper competitor EVs coming to market as potentially dilutive to TSLA’s share of the US EV market.”
Currently, the lowest-priced Tesla available is the Model 3 sedan, which starts at a price point of around $43,000, they wrote. Seven models from other automakers are currently priced below that, Mizhuo noted.
Cannacord Genuity analysts ran a survey asking what Tesla watchers predict will be discussed during the Investor Day presentation on Wednesday. Most expected to hear about a “next-Gen vehicle platform,” as well as details on Tesla’s mining plans, and an update to Tesla’s longer-term vehicle volume forecast through 2030.
This story is developing, please check back for updates.
— CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed to this report.
Earnings season next week goes into overdrive as more than 150 companies in the S & P 500 report their quarterly results. Most of the “Magnificent Seven” tech firms are among them. With Tesla already out and Nvidia not out until Nov. 19, that leaves Alphabet and Club names Amazon , Apple , Meta Platforms , and Microsoft . In total, 10 companies in the portfolio are on next week’s list. Here is where Jim Cramer stands on each. Tuesday Corning reports its third-quarter earnings before Tuesday’s open. The specialty glass maker is our newest stock in the portfolio. We started a small position a couple of weeks ago to give us some room to buy on a pullback. Jim expects the company’s results are “going to be blowout” fueled by surging sales in its optical communication enterprise business tied to growing AI demand. “If you don’t have a position in Corning, you probably want to put some on before and after,” Jim said. Wednesday Boeing delivers its third-quarter results before Wednesday’s open. We’re looking out for what the non-cash charge will be for the 777x program, the company’s next-generation, long-haul jet. The aerospace giant will be raising its production of the 737 Max, making room for more deliveries and stronger free cash flow. The management team should be “talking about a series of orders,” coming in, Jim said, adding that “if you don’t have any Boeing, it’s not too late to buy.” Starbucks reports its fiscal fourth quarter after Wednesday’s closing bell. Jim believes this will be the “last bad quarter” for the coffee giant, which is still in the midst of a turnaround headed by CEO Brian Niccol, who did wonders when he led Chipotle . Jim interviewed Niccol last week and came away optimistic about the company’s trajectory in 2026. Meta is out Wednesday evening with third-quarter earnings. The social media giant is “getting a lot of advertising business, doing a lot of things very right,” Jim said. The mega cap tech giant has been at the forefront of the most talked about theme this year – and likely next — which companies will be among the AI winners. Microsoft reports its fiscal 2026 first quarter, also after the close Wednesday. Jim sees upside to the numbers, citing the Windows refresh driven by personal computer shipments and its cloud business Azure, which is “going quite well” and likely taking share in the cloud computing market. Thursday Bristol Myers Squibb reports its third quarter before the opening bell Thursday. Jim thinks the biopharmaceutical company’s results “will disappoint.” We invested in the company for the promise of Cobenfy, a prescription used to treat schizophrenia. Unfortunately, a major drug trial for a new indication went poorly. Barring any positive Cobenfy news, our thesis must be reassessed. Bristol Myers shares have lost 22% year to date. Drugmaker Eli Lilly also reports before the open. Jim said, “We’re not going to see anything rally” from the Mounjaro and Zepbound maker unless there’s a positive update on the cost of GLP-1 drugs. “That’s unfortunate because I think that [Lily] is going very, very well,” Jim said. Amazon , out with Q3 results after Thursday’s close, is going to have to show revenue acceleration “back to 2021” levels in its cloud business, Jim noted. This would help Amazon Web Services shake off the narrative that its cloud growth has seen better days. Apple also reports Thursday evening. Jim feels confident in the iPhone maker’s fiscal fourth quarter, given signals that the new iPhone models are selling better than many had expected. The stock surged to an all-time intraday high Monday after positive commentary from Wall Street analysts and upbeat iPhone demand data. Friday Linde reports its third-quarter before Friday’s open. Jim is comfortable heading into the quarter after the industrial gas giant’s recent upbeat fireside chats with analysts. Jim said he “likes that situation,” referring to the company as “one of the most reliable stocks we own for the Club.” (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long GLW, BA, SBUX, META, MSFT, BMY, LLY, AMZN, AAPL, LIN. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
Meta is facing new pressure from OpenAI, the juggernaut behind ChatGPT, which is now making waves in short-form video with its viral hit, Sora 2. The new app combines AI-powered video generation with a social feed that mimics TikTok and Instagram Reels. Less than five days after its Sept. 30 launch , Sora 2 racked up over a million iOS downloads for Apple devices, despite being invite-only. That pace outstripped downloads for the ChatGPT app when it launched in May 2023, six months after the AI chatbot debuted on web browsers, marking the start of its historic rise in popularity . Sora 2 spent three weeks at No. 1 on Apple’s App Store, before being supplanted this week by the Dave’s Hot Chicken china, due to a promotional push with rapper Drake . Still, it’s No. 2 as of Friday morning. The threat to Meta: If Sora 2 proves to have staying power, it could chip away at Meta’s most valuable asset – the time people spend scrolling and posting on Facebook and Instagram, which makes those apps indispensable destinations for advertisers. Meta is projected to earn $192 billion in ad revenue in 2025 alone. For Meta, eyeballs equal dollars because nearly all of its revenue comes from advertising. “This isn’t the end of the Instagram-Facebook momentum,” said analyst Michael Nathanson of MoffettNathanson in an interview with CNBC. “But if investors see this as a threat, it may limit how much they’re willing to pay towards the premium for Meta,” added Nathanson, who maintains a buy rating and $890 price target on Meta stock. That implies about 21% upside from Thursday’s close. Meta shares have declined almost 1% since the day before Sora 2’s debut, part of a multimonth slump for the stock. Meanwhile, the tech-heavy Nasdaq has gained more than 2% in the three-plus weeks following Sora 2’s arrival, and it’s advanced roughly 10% in the past three months. Nathanson believes investor anxiety is growing, and that any perceived disruption to Meta’s “engagement flywheel” – and its advertising dollars – could sour investor sentiment fast. While Nathanson remains bullish on Meta shares, he said his decades as an analyst have taught him to keep an open mind on changes in consumer behavior. In general, “investors start to worry about the long-term sustainability of business models,” Nathanson added. “And if you see a potential new competitor emerging, then people would pay a lower multiple for future earnings.” META YTD mountain Meta Platforms YTD It’s a familiar storyline for tech investors. ChatGPT’s explosive growth following its late 2022 debut became a significant overhang on shares of Google-parent Alphabet , as investors questioned the durability of Google’s search empire in the face of a conversational competitor. “People were really worried about the future earnings power of Alphabet,” Nathanson said. Now, nearly three years later, could Meta be facing its own ChatGPT moment? Or will Sora 2 just be a flash in the pan that fails to weaken Meta’s social media supremacy? With Sora 2, users can generate, remix, and put themselves in AI videos using text or images. In addition to being a video generator, it also has a built-in social app. In the app, users can discover new videos in a customizable Sora feed and share them on other social networks. Sora 2 builds on the original Sora model, released in February 2024, with more advanced capabilities that generate more physically accurate and realistic videos. To be sure, OpenAI’s surge isn’t without friction. Last week, the company halted AI-generated videos of Martin Luther King Jr. after users created “disrespectful depictions” of the civil rights leader. OpenAI said it’s strengthening guardrails for public figures and will allow people or their families to opt out of being included in Sora-generated content. OpenAI doesn’t have the AI video turf all to itself. Google has its Veo model , an updated version of which rolled out last week. Days prior to Sora 2’s release, Meta debuted Vibes , a new feed on the Meta AI app where users can create and share short-form AI-generated videos. While browsing, users see a range of AI-generated videos that become more personalized over time. With Vibes, users can create their own videos from scratch, work with content they already have, or remix a video from the feed to make it their own. When ready to share, they can post directly to the Vibes feed, direct message to friends, or cross-post to Instagram and Facebook Stories and Reels. If you see a potential new competitor emerging, then people would pay a lower multiple for future earnings. MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson Vibes is also gaining traction. As of Oct. 17, combined Meta AI daily active users for iOS and Android were up to 2.7 million, up from roughly 775,000 four weeks ago, according to market intelligence provider, Similarweb. Based on when Vibes was incorporated into the Meta AI app, the firm believes it was the catalyst for the app’s recent growth. While Meta’s Vibes could be its answer to Sora 2, Vibes is “still technically behind Sora,” Nathanson wrote in a note clients Oct. 13. Unlike Sora, which blends real and AI-generated footage and runs on OpenAI’s proprietary models, Vibes still relies on third-party tools and produces fully synthetic content. Beginning this summer, Meta embarked on an aggressive hiring spree to recruit top AI talent to close the gap with OpenAI and other AI startups, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly has grown frustrat ed with the company’s AI standing. While Meta is now laying off 600 people in its AI division , the big-name hires it brought in this year were unaffected by the cuts, CNBC reported this week. In addition to cutting big checks for talent, Meta is pouring tens of billions of dollars into data center projects to expand its AI computing footprint. To date, investors have largely backed Meta’s hefty AI spending on the belief that it is already improving its ad-targeting prowess, giving Zuckerberg breathing room on other, long-term AI pursuits such as his vision of “personal superintelligence.” Brian Pitz, analyst at BMO Capital Markets, argued that Meta’s scale and adaptability give it a powerful cushion against any potential disruption from Sora 2. “If one area of growth starts slowing, they can step on the gas in another,” he said, pointing to apps like WhatsApp and Threads that aren’t yet big moneymakers, though Meta did introduce ads on both platforms this year . Additionally, Meta’s history of “fast-growing” innovations – from rolling out Stories to compete with Snapchat or Reels in response to TikTok – shows the company’s capacity to catch up to competitors and ultimately win in engagement, Pitz said. Most importantly, Pitz said Meta’s “competitive moat” remains its more than 3 billion daily active users – an audience OpenAI is still far from matching for both Sora 2 and its flagship product, ChatGPT, which has 800 million weekly active users . “A little bit of new monetization goes a really long way on that big of a user base,” said Pitz, who has a hold-equivalent rating and $710 price target on Meta stock. A more fundamental question looms over the rise of Sora 2 and even Meta’s own Vibes: Do people really want fully AI-generated content on social media? While Sora’s growth is eye-popping, Pitz thinks the hype could fade. “It’s hard to call it a winner here,” he said of Sora, warning that users may get tired of synthetic feeds or abandon platforms over copyright disputes and AI “slop” content. “You risk ending up with a pool of craziness,” Pitz said. Some data suggests the Sora 2 buzz is already fizzling among the few million people who were invited to download it. It’s hard to call it a winner here. BMO analyst Brian Pitz “While a plausible [competitive] concern, our data checks point to retention softness at Sora,” analysts at Deutsche Bank wrote in a note Tuesday. “In fact, by day 7, we find that ~98% of initial users no longer open the app. As such, in our view, the app still lacks the scale and retention levels to be a meaningful new competitor to Instagram/ Facebook engagement.” For now, that’s music to the ears of Meta investors. And soon, they’ll get to hear directly from Zuckerberg on this question — and many more, like if there are additional signs its AI investments are paying off companywide — when the company reports its third-quarter results Oct. 29 and holds its post-earnings conference call with analysts. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long META, AAPL. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
Lisa Su, chair and chief executive officer of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), during a fireside chat at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru, India, on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
Gabriela Bhaskar | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Shares of Advanced Micro Devices jumped more than 6% on a report that IBM can utilize the company’s chips to run certain quantum computing algorithms.
IBM shares gained about 8% and headed for their best day since January.
Reuters reported on Friday that a paper will publish next week showing that IBM can run a quantum error-correction algorithm on AMD’s field-programmable gate array chips.
Representatives from AMD and IBM didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
In August, the two companies announced an agreement to develop quantum computing capabilities and integrate technologies. IBM has also said it plans to debut a quantum computer by 2029.
The technology utilizes quantum mechanics to address problems that traditional computers are unable to solve. Technology giants such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon are also racing to develop quantum computing.
Last year, Microsoft rolled out its first quantum computing chip, while Google launched its breakthrough WIllow. A top quantum executive at the internet search company told CNBC in March that the technology was “five years out from a real breakout.”
The various announcements have brought renewed interest to the quantum space, boosting stocks like D-Wave Quantum, Rigetti Computing, and IonQ, which all climbed on Friday.
The Trump administration on Thursday refuted a report that it was negotiating stakes in quantum companies.