Disruptors news. Peter Thiel Strikes Again: 400% Stock Gets Billionaire Blessing
New Milestones from Rigetti and the Race for Ethereum Heats Up
Peter Thiel Just Jumped In: BitMine Surges 25%
BitMine Immersion (NYSE:BMNR) soared 25% in premarket trading Wednesday after billionaire investor Peter Thiel disclosed a 9.1% stake in the company. The move, revealed in a recent SEC filing, signals a surge in institutional interest in Ethereum.
Thiel, co-founder of PayPal and Palantir, made the investment through his Founders Fund Growth II, acquiring roughly 5.09 million shares. And when Thiel buys, markets listen: Palantir ($PLTR) just crossed $150—up from $20 only a year ago. Everything he touches turns to gold. With financial firepower few can match, Thiel could turn BitMine into a second Strategic Treasury. His bet could shift sentiment around crypto and Ethereum in particular.
BitMine isn’t just another crypto play. The company is pivoting into an Ethereum treasury powerhouse—already holding approximately $500 million in ETH—and recently announced a $250 million private placement to scale its strategy.
With the stock already up more than 400% year-to-date and Thiel now involved, investors are betting Ethereum is the next big thing—and BitMine might be the vehicle to ride that wave.
GameSquare: Big Bet on Ethereum Treasury Sends Shares Soaring
GameSquare Holdings (NASDAQ:GAME) ripped nearly 40% in after-hours trading on Tuesday after the company revealed a bold new crypto play: a $100 million initiative to build a dedicated Ethereum-based treasury.
The plan, approved by the board last week, aims to generate sustainable yield via decentralized finance protocols and Ethereum ecosystem assets. It’s not just an internal push—GameSquare has formed a strategic partnership with Dialectic, a firm known for crypto-native capital management.
The announcement came ahead of a high-profile conference call scheduled for Wednesday, featuring CEO Justin Kenna and crypto heavyweights Ryan Zurrer and Rhydon Lee of Goff Capital. The excitement in the market was instant: shares closed up 9% during regular trading, then spiked another 38.4% after hours.
GameSquare is emerging as a new name in the Ethereum-as-treasury movement. With the stock trading under $2 and interest in crypto heating up, this aggressive pivot is attracting high-momentum traders and institutional watchers alike.
$ASML is down 8.5% in Frankfurt after issuing weaker-than-expected guidance.
The company continues to face structural challenges without access to the Chinese market—even after decades of training local engineers at its partnered universities.
ASML remains the second-largest company in the EU by market cap, valued at approximately €278.88 billion. It posted strong Q2 results, with net bookings up 41%, but revised full-year guidance downward. The CEO cited macroeconomic headwinds and "external uncertainties"—not exactly what investors wanted to hear.
ASML now forecasts 2025 revenue growth of around 15%, reaching €32.5 billion ($37.71 billion), compared to the previous guidance range of €30–35 billion. Gross margin is expected to land at 52%—within but near the lower end of the 51–53% range.
The stock’s golden era seems behind it. Once trading above $1,000, $ASML now reflects a more mature phase. The company produces highly specialized machines for advanced chipmaking—a product you don’t buy twice. With $TSM as the primary customer, growth depends more on geopolitical clarity than product innovation.
Recently, ASML also faced pricing tensions with its largest client. TSMC’s SVP Kevin Zhang publicly criticized the cost of ASML’s new high-NA EUV machines, stating: “I like the high‑NA EUV’s capability, but I don’t like its sticker price.” That friction might explain part of the cautious tone in ASML’s forecast. One could argue TSMC is pressing back hard—maybe too hard? Investors are left wondering whether the world's top chipmaker is slowing ASML’s momentum at the worst possible time.
There’s also a deeper structural problem: ASML’s products are so advanced and expensive that demand is inherently limited. It can only sell a finite number of machines per year, and if margins get squeezed—either by pricing pressure or rising costs—the company has little room to make up for it in volume. That’s a tough place to be when capex cycles are cooling and geopolitical risks remain unresolved. The expected gross margin of 52% this year, while still strong, suggests ASML is already brushing against its profitability ceiling.
Joby Aviation: Production Ramp-Up Begins
Joby Aviation (NYSE:JOBY) has begun manufacturing its electric air taxi in Marina, California. The new production line is backed by Toyota and marks a key milestone toward FAA certification. The first aircraft off the line will be delivered to the U.S. Air Force as part of a $131 million contract.
The ramp-up signals a shift from prototype to commercial scale, with Joby aiming to launch air taxi services in 2025. The stock is up over 70% year-to-date, fueled by strong interest in the urban mobility sector and a growing defense footprint.
Joby’s move is being closely watched across the advanced air mobility (AAM) sector. Companies like Archer Aviation (NYSE:ACHR), which are also targeting 2025 launches, stand to benefit from increased investor attention and regulatory tailwinds. As Joby leads the charge, optimism is spilling into the entire space.
USAR: The Next MP Materials?
Shares of USAR are up 4% in premarket trading amid renewed speculation that the company could be the Pentagon’s next acquisition target in the rare earths sector.
With MP Materials now a flagship example of U.S. strategic independence in rare earth metals, traders are looking for the next domestic play. USAR fits the profile: a rare earths-focused company operating on U.S. soil at a time when geopolitical supply chains are under scrutiny.
The market seems to be betting that USAR could play a role in the next round of Department of Defense initiatives aimed at securing domestic access to critical minerals. If so, the stock could see a major re-rating.
Momentum is picking up—and if MP was the first chapter, USAR might be the sequel.
Rigetti Computing Hits New Quantum Milestone
Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ:RGTI) announced it has reached a major technical milestone—achieving 99.5% median two-qubit gate fidelity on its modular 36-qubit quantum computing system.
This mid-year performance update is another signal that Rigetti continues to advance its quantum roadmap in a highly competitive space. Investors have been watching closely as the company competes with bigger names in the race toward practical quantum computing.
If Rigetti can sustain this momentum, it may start drawing greater institutional interest in the months ahead
This publication is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or trading advice. Readers are solely responsible for their own investment decisions. The author may hold positions in the securities mentioned.
What. Is. That. Contraption.