Well, well, well. Just when you thought 2025 couldn’t get any weirder, Goldman Sachs decided to play party pooper at the flying car celebration. The investment banking giant just dropped some serious cold water on the eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) stock party, and let’s just say retail investors are feeling a bit… deflated.
Here’s the tea: Goldman’s analysts just initiated coverage on several flying car companies, and their message was basically “pump the brakes, people.” They’re particularly skeptical about two of retail traders’ favorite darlings: Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation. You know, those companies that promise we’ll all be commuting to work in personal aircraft by 2030?
The most brutal takedown went to Joby Aviation, which got slapped with a “Sell” rating and a $10 price target. Ouch. That’s like showing up to a hype party and immediately asking everyone to go home. Goldman’s basically saying, “Hey, we know everyone’s excited about flying cars, but maybe let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.”
Archer Aviation didn’t fare much better, landing a “Neutral” rating. It’s the financial equivalent of a shoulder shrug – not terrible, but not exactly a ringing endorsement either. Meanwhile, retail investors on platforms like Stocktwits have been treating these stocks like they’re the next Tesla, which makes Goldman’s reality check sting even more.
But here’s where it gets interesting: Goldman isn’t completely anti-flying car. They actually gave BETA Technologies a “Buy” rating, suggesting they see some real potential in the sector – just not where everyone else is looking. It’s like saying, “Flying cars are cool, but you’re betting on the wrong horse.”
The timing of this coverage is particularly spicy because eVTOL stocks have been on a wild ride lately. These companies have been promising revolutionary air taxi services, and retail investors have been eating it up. The problem? Most of these companies are still years away from actually making money, and their valuations have gotten a bit… ambitious.
Goldman’s analysts are essentially asking the tough questions: When will these companies actually turn a profit? How realistic are their timelines? And most importantly, are current stock prices reflecting reality or just really good marketing?
The market’s reaction was swift and predictable. Joby’s stock took a 6.6% nosedive after the Goldman report, proving that sometimes reality bites harder than a bad landing. Archer’s stock also felt the turbulence, reminding everyone that even in the age of flying cars, gravity still applies to stock prices.
Look, nobody wants to be the person who says flying cars won’t happen. They probably will, eventually. But Goldman’s message is clear: just because something sounds cool doesn’t mean it’s a good investment right now. Sometimes the most revolutionary technologies take longer to pay off than our ADHD-addled attention spans would prefer.
So what’s the takeaway? Maybe don’t bet your retirement fund on flying cars just yet. But hey, at least we’ll have some entertaining stock charts to look at while we wait for our Uber to arrive… on the ground, like peasants.