Turn Polarization Into Profits BY ANDY SWAN America is torn – and for once, politics isn’t at fault. The great polarization in America today is over self-driving cars – and that means it’s exactly the right time for investors to pay very close attention. ARK Invest says this breakthrough technology “may have the most impact on GDP of any innovation in history.” In its optimal state, Mark Zuckerberg says the development “is going to potentially massively reduce one of the leading causes of death.” Artificial intelligence (AI) leader Nvidia (NVDA) estimates the innovation’s market potential to match that of its data center over the long term: $300 billion. But for most Main Street Americans, driverless cars remain a tough sell: - 93% have concerns about some aspect of the innovation, with safety and technology malfunctions topping the list, followed by reliability, cost, hacking, and more.
- 81% have never personally experienced this technology firsthand.
- 30% do feel excited about the future of this tech.
This disconnect creates a compelling opportunity for investors. America’s hesitation hasn’t stopped autonomous vehicles (AVs) from taking to the streets – the robotaxi revolution is underway in cities like Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, where Waymo (GOOGL) operates driverless cabs. Fellow LikeFolio follower and TradeSmith Daily reader James H. can tell you first hand: “The driverle$$ phenomenon is in full play. In the city I live, Waymo is everywhere, in fact, my son and I have created the Waymo game to see who can see 10 Waymos first when we are driving to school, hockey practice, etc.” The self-driving taxi market is already worth $1 billion – and on its way to surpass $2 trillion over the next decade. Autonomous vehicles have some major hurdles to jump before they achieve mass adoption. The big one: Convincing riders and legislators alike that a driverless vehicle isn’t just safe, but often is safer than a human-operated one. Thanks to Waymo’s early entry into the market, we have solid proof that AVs are, in fact, safer than human-driven vehicles in many instances: Waymo’s AVs are 5.4 times less likely to be involved in injury-causing crashes and 2.7 times less likely to be involved in police-reported crashes compared to human drivers. As AV tech improves and the court of public opinion sways in favor of adoption, we expect to see enormous opportunities for investors to pocket gains. THIS is the time to position yourself in the right AV plays. Not Waymo… not Uber Technologies (UBER) or Lyft (LYFT). At LikeFolio, we’re tracking consumer sentiment in real time and can show you the real winner emerging in this space – one that’s just as polarizing to Americans as the idea of driverless cars. | Recommended Link | | | | One man is saying: FORGET most stocks. Because his strategy ignores 99% of stocks out there… And focuses on one – just one – to deliver gains of 85% in 14 days, 120% in under 3 months, and even 222% in just 8 days. In this video, he’ll tell you the name and ticker symbol, completely FREE. Click here to watch right now. |  | | The Best Bet for a Driverless Future Today, Waymo is the only player in the AV game taking consumers for a truly autonomous ride -- racking up 50 million “rider-only” miles driven since its 2018 commercial launch. Problem is, Waymo relies on partners like China’s Zeekr to scale and uses lidar for precision driving, dampening its positioning as its competition creeps in. Tesla (TSLA), on the other hand, is vertically integrated. It leverages vast driving data for its AI systems, boasts a massive moat of safety data, and is making progress towards its own Robotaxi rollouts… when it will officially position itself as an unmatched data-rich leader in the driverless future. Yes, Tesla has been criticized for missing deadlines on autonomy for years. Yes, Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software still requires a human driver. And yes, CEO Elon Musk is polarizing – and this time, we do mean his politics. All that skepticism remains. But the reality has changed dramatically. And those who don’t recognize Tesla’s quiet lead in the race to autonomy risk being left behind. Tesla plans to begin production of its fully autonomous Robotaxis, including the Cybercab and Robovan models, in 2026. But the company isn’t waiting around until then to monetize its vehicles. It plans to initiate its Robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in June 2025, using Tesla-owned vehicles equipped with unsupervised FSD software. Expansion across the U.S. would follow by year-end – Tesla secured its first key permit for operating in California earlier this week – with regulatory approval being the only major constraint internationally. It may be taking longer than anticipated to get the ball rolling – Musk has been talking about autonomy for nearly a decade. But every minute of the day, Tesla gains an advantage over its self-driving competition. Think about it: There are about 5 million Tesla vehicles already on the road today. Each one of those is a data-generating machine, collecting millions of individual data points in real time, allowing Tesla to improve performance and safety with every mile driven. When it comes to practice, Tesla’s lead is unmatched, racking up ~94x the autonomous driving data of its competitor, Waymo, with billions of autonomous miles under its belt. 
Source: ARK Invest All this data goes a long way in proving the safety of Tesla’s autonomous tech: While the mainstream media tends to focus on a few high-profile Tesla vehicle crashes, the company’s fourth-quarter safety report showed its FSD-equipped vehicles had just one crash per 5.9 million miles. Compared to the U.S. average of one crash per 700,000 miles, that’s nearly 8.5x safer than a human driver. 
Source: ir.tesla.com Tesla’s advantage will only widen as it rolls out upcoming software versions. Another huge advantage in Tesla’s back pocket? Its lower cost structure. At scale, Musk contends Tesla’s Robotaxis will be able to deliver autonomous rides at just 20 cents per mile – about 40% cheaper than rival Waymo. This could upend the economics of ride-hailing and logistics, making Tesla not only a serious contender in the $175 billion market, but also an attractive partner for companies like Uber looking to integrate its technology, rather than build their own solutions. The takeaway: Tesla’s integrated model – combining software expertise, a massive fleet, and vertical control – sets it apart. And once it achieves full autonomy, we could be looking at a multitrillion-dollar business model shift that the market is currently valuing at zero. Unlocking a Fleet of Income-Generating Assets A successful Robotaxi service could turn Tesla into a profit-making powerhouse – turning every one of its vehicles into an income-generating asset. Instead of relying solely on vehicle sales, the company would generate recurring revenue through its software and services, creating a stream of predictable cash flows similar to those of established software giants. ARK Invest estimates that robotaxis could account for nearly 90% of Tesla’s enterprise value and earnings by 2029. Elon Musk has estimated that if full autonomy is achieved, Tesla’s valuation could skyrocket from its current market cap of around $780 billion to as much as $5 trillion. Addressing the Elephant in the Room But what about the here and now? Tesla has an image problem in 2025 – its CEO has become just as polarizing as the AV tech it’s creating. Musk embracing his political aspirations in the Trump White House is putting Tesla’s brand under pressure. Protests and acts of vandalism are on the rise. But LikeFolio data reveals an interesting dynamic that contrasts with the media narrative. And this is where you get an “edge.” Consumer trends reveal Tesla’s brand continues to attract interest on Main Street, with online searches for terms like “buy Tesla,” “new Tesla,” and “Tesla models” on the rise: 
Source: Google Trends This suggests public curiosity and demand for Tesla vehicles is trending higher – even as media pressures attempt to crush the brand. The Bottom Line Despite consumers’ caution in embracing self-driving technology, we know they’re just as fascinated by its potential. Last year around this time, when Tesla announced its plans to unveil the Robotaxi, LikeFolio saw buzz around autonomous driving surge to all-time highs. 
We got our subscribers ahead of the mega-trend immediately with our April 2024 MegaTrends report, doubling down on TSLA and issuing a new buy on a sub-$3 hidden gem that’s delivered a 140% profit in less than a year. Whether Tesla disrupts the industry as a direct competitor or collaborates with established players, it’s now undeniably a central force in the future of autonomous transportation. Betting against Musk on this front might just add fuel to Tesla’s fire. Once again, investors are faced with a seemingly binary choice: Will TSLA fail, ultimately becoming just another car company? Or will it transform an entire industry as we know it? We’re betting on the latter. The market is still underestimating Tesla’s execution. But the reality is unfolding faster than most realize. While its stock price takes a hit, this could be your opportunity to pounce. LikeFolio specializes in identifying the mega-trends catching fire on Main Street and the stocks set to soar on their tailwinds. We hand our MegaTrends subscribers the best and brightest of those opportunities by zeroing in on small-caps flying under the under the radar for most investors – allowing us to place trades before the market catches on and sends their stock prices soaring. That sub-$3 AV pick that went on to rocket 140% is just one example of our system at work. A fresh MegaTrends issue just dropped this week with three stocks every investor should have on their watchlist right now – and the list is growing fast, with huge opportunities developing during this market pullback. Go here now to see how you can get in on the next mega-trend winners. Until next time, 
Andy Swan
Founder, LikeFolio | 
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