Crossroads
Tech Bros Weekly: Where does Robinhood go from here?
9/16/2025, 2:50:27 PM
Economic Summary
- Robinhood announced Cortex, a natural-language scanner that can let users query thousands of companies and indicators, which could boost research efficiency and convert free users into paid Gold subscribers (HOOD).
- Robinhood is launching a social feed with verified trades and a predictions market; this can increase engagement, virality, and cross-posting to platforms like X, potentially growing user acquisition and retention.
- Company monthly metrics showed ~300 billion AUC, $34 billion in cash sweep, net deposits under $5 billion, options and margin at all-time highs, and crypto up 154% YoY, indicating healthy trading activity and product adoption (HOOD).
- Speakers argued three macro tailwinds for Robinhood — crypto/tokenization, AI (Cortex), and intergenerational wealth transfer — which together expand TAM and could materially support longer-term valuation upside for HOOD.
- Tesla saw an insider purchase (~$1B by Elon Musk) that traders interpreted as bullish, but participants warned the stock is priced for ambitious future products (robo-taxi, Optimus) with unclear execution timelines (TSLA).
Bullish
- Natural-language scanner (Cortex) can dramatically lower research friction and attract paid Gold users.
- Robinhood's new social + verified-trade feed and prediction markets can drive engagement and virality.
- Insider buying (Elon purchasing ~$1B TSLA) signals management confidence and can be bullish for TSLA.
- Monthly metrics (AUC, options, margin highs) indicate strong product usage and monetization opportunities for HOOD.
Bearish
- LLM-powered features may hallucinate or return misleading signals, risking bad investment decisions.
- Robinhood's social feed could attract misinformation, bots, or amplification of risky trading behavior.
- Tesla appears richly valued relative to visible near-term revenue drivers like robo-taxi or Optimus.
- Predictions/market features could invite regulatory scrutiny or gambling-like behavior, hurting reputation.
Bullish tickers
HOODNVDATSLASOFI
Bearish tickers
TSLAHOOD
CLOV
Bullish
Used to demonstrate Cortex finding intraday breakouts, implying the scanner can surface tradable setups like CLOV.
Bearish
Mentioned only as a breakout example on an intraday chart; no specific concerns voiced about fundamentals.
HOOD
Bullish
Cortex, social/verified-trade feed, predictions market, and product velocity could drive engagement, Gold conversions, and TAM expansion.
Bearish
New AI features risk hallucinations and the social feed could create reputational or regulatory issues if misused.
SOFI
Bullish
SoFi's existing ETF/fund efforts were mentioned as a comparable precedent if Robinhood moves into proprietary ETFs or strategies.
Bearish
Not deeply criticized in the discussion; comparison noted that SoFi already has community features similar to social investing.
TSLA
Bullish
Elon Musk's ~$1B insider buy and the proposed pay package signal confidence and are viewed as bullish catalysts.
Bearish
Valuation appears high and dependent on uncertain execution of robo-taxi and Optimus initiatives without clear revenue timelines.
NVDA
Bullish
Implied as a strong alternative holding; speakers noted selling Tesla to buy Nvidia worked well for some.
Bearish
Not a primary bearish focus; mentioned as an alternative to Tesla for investors preferring proven growth.
V
Bullish
Referenced as an analog for potential long-term significance if Robinhood becomes a ubiquitous payments/brokerage layer.
Bearish
Used only as a comparison to describe the potential scale of Robinhood, not criticized directly.
SCHW
Bullish
Referenced when discussing incumbents that likely have their own ETF-like offerings; comparison point for Robinhood's potential ETF moves.
Bearish
Mentioned as an incumbent with its own products; no explicit bearish case made.
FIDELITY
Bullish
Used as a comparison when discussing traditional providers' ETF-like products and market presence.
Bearish
Mentioned generically as an incumbent asset manager; no direct bearish commentary.
ARK
Bullish
Cited as an example of bullish research/estimates that influence market expectations around new Tesla revenue streams.
Bearish
Referenced in context of robo-taxi estimates; not criticized directly but their forecasts were questioned.
People mentioned
TannerRoyVladAmitElon MuskLarry EllisonAlex CarvesRaj