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Editor's Note: The latest CNBC Disruptor 50 rankings reveal a seismic shift in AI investing that caught even seasoned analysts off guard. While household names like OpenAI slipped from the top spot, a defense contractor most retail investors can't even pronounce just raised $2.5 billion. The companies leading this transition are building something far more valuable than chatbots—and the opportunity window may be closing fast. TSM
Trusted Partner Presentation
The Robotics Revolution has arrived … and one $7 stock could take off as a result.
Robots aren't coming to America in 2025.
They are already here. Oxford Economics says, "The Robotics Revolution we predicted has arrived." In fact, I believe these robots could impact 65 million Americans lives — by August of this year. Forbes says this could be "a $24 trillion opportunity for investors." |
The artificial intelligence investment landscape just experienced its most dramatic reshuffling since ChatGPT's launch, according to new data from CNBC's prestigious Disruptor 50 rankings. While mainstream investors remain fixated on software-based AI applications, a select group of companies focused on "physical AI"—robotics, autonomous systems, and defense technologies—have quietly assembled war chests totaling tens of billions of dollars.
Defense technology company Anduril is the No. 1 company on the 2025 CNBC Disruptor 50 list, taking the top spot from OpenAI, which falls to No. 2 after two consecutive years topping the annual startup rankings. The company more than doubled its valuation to $30.5 billion after closing a $2.5 billion Series G funding round. This marks the first time defense tech has topped the D50 list, and emblematic of a trend, with three additional defense-oriented startups joining Anduril as Disruptors this year. The four defense companies on the list have a combined value of more than $45 billion and have raised almost $10 billion from investors.
| Company | Sector | Valuation | Recent Funding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anduril | Defense Technology | $30.5 billion | $2.5 billion |
| OpenAI | Software AI | $157 billion | $6.6 billion |
| Tesla Robotics | Physical AI/Robotics | $10+ trillion potential | Internal funding |
While software AI companies struggle with monetization, robotics firms are securing concrete revenue streams through manufacturing and service contracts. Global advisory firm Benchmark International projects a robust 15.1% annual growth rate for the robotics market, with the sector expected to reach $169.8 billion by 2032. Industrial robots that cost $27,000 in 2017 are projected to be available for as little as $10,856 by 2025, according to Statista analysis. Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the company plans to manufacture 10,000 Optimus humanoid robots in 2025, with those robots expected to be working in Tesla factories by year-end.
Love him or hate him...
Elon Musk has changed the world, with PayPal, Tesla, and SpaceX.
But even Elon says his latest project - which the Financial Times calls "an imminent revolution" - will be bigger than all of those combined.
That's why I recently took a camera crew halfway across the country to investigate this story before it goes viral as soon as June 30th.
And what I found is shocking...
The recent AI stock volatility has created unexpected value opportunities in the semiconductor sector that powers these physical AI systems. Year to date, the benchmark PHLX Semiconductor (SOX) index is up 0.5% as of Feb. 24, lagging the S&P 500, which has returned 1.7% over the same period in 2025. Compare that SOX figure to July 10, 2024, when the index was up 43% year to date after soaring 65% in 2023. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has said physical AI represents the world's next trillion-dollar industry.
Despite a challenging 2025 that saw Tesla shares down 41% year-to-date and automotive revenue plunge 20% from a year earlier, the company is positioning itself as a leader in the physical AI revolution. Tesla's vertical integration in AI, manufacturing expertise, and autonomous systems create a formidable foundation for leadership in the emerging $20 trillion robotics and autonomous mobility markets. Musk said in the opening remarks of Tesla's earnings call that the company would be "launching unsupervised Full Self-Driving as a paid service" in Austin in June.
While public AI stocks face volatility, corporate dealmaking in the sector remains robust. Between the beginning of January and June 17, the number of US-targeted mergers and acquisitions is down by roughly 18%, according to Dealogic. But the total value of all of this year's deals is up 10% compared to the same period in 2024. "Anything that's sheltered from tariffs in a shifting and evolving sector is where you're going to see the activity right now, and AI is somewhere with that, where there is an absolute race," Lucinda Guthrie, head of data provider Mergermarket, told Yahoo Finance. More than two-thirds of companies on this year's D50 list — 38 companies — said that AI is "critical to their business," up from 34 last year.
The shift from software to physical AI represents a fundamental change in how smart money is positioning for the next wave of technological disruption. While retail investors remain focused on chatbot companies and software applications, institutional money is flowing toward companies building tangible AI-powered products with clear paths to profitability. The surge in funding comes as President Donald Trump has proposed an increase in defense spending, with a focus on modernizing military capabilities and opening opportunities beyond the legacy defense sector. For individual investors, identifying these under-the-radar opportunities before they achieve mainstream recognition could be the difference between participating in the next Tesla-sized winner or watching from the sidelines as institutional investors capture the gains.
Donald Trump just won the election resoundingly. And already, in the first few hours after the news, Bitcoin has skyrocketed. Hitting all-time highs on the first day after the election. But that’s just the start …
Juan Villaverde called the top and bottom of every crypto bull market since 2012. And he says 2025 could be the greatest bull market in crypto history. He believes Bitcoin will go to $150,000 — or more.
But there’s one coin he thinks could go even higher. It’s part of Trump’s special Project Crypto. His plan to make America “the crypto capital of the planet.” This could be his favorite coin.
And it’s definitely one of his vice president’s favorite. Click here to find out more about the coin that makes more than Bitcoin in the 2025 bull market.
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Trusted Partner Presentation
$7 Stock at the Heart of Robotics RevolutionThe $24 Trillion Robotics Revolution Has ArrivedA revolutionary new robot is beginning to emerge. Elon Musk says it will "change civilization as we know it." Microsoft's Bill Gates said, "it will be as revolutionary as the PC". Nvidia's Jensen Huang says it could be "the largest technology industry the world has ever seen". Creating a $24 trillion opportunity for investors. And one $7 stock could be the biggest winner of all. 
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Oil just crashed 15% to four-year lows as OPEC+ floods the market with an extra 411,000 barrels per day. Wall Street analysts are panicking, slashing forecasts for the third straight month while institutional money flees energy stocks.
Tesla's CEO just made a stunning claim about the robotics market being worth trillions. Musk estimates demand for over 20 billion humanoid robots globally, combining consumer and industrial use cases.
Friday's US Steel rally was just the market pricing in the obvious - but what comes next is a multi-year infrastructure boom that most investors haven't calculated yet.
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