Uber Technologies (UBER -0.11%) is undergoing a significant transition. The company popularized ride-sharing globally and is currently the leader in this industry. It is also a major player in the food delivery business.

However, the universality of its platform appears set to also make it a major player in the autonomous vehicle industry. That could have profound effects on what is now a self-driving car stock over the next five years, meaning the question may not be whether it outperforms the S&P 500 over that period, but by how much.

Image source: Getty Images.

The changing nature of Uber

At first glance, Uber may not seem like it would play a dramatically more critical role in the autonomous vehicle industry. It is not a vehicle manufacturer like Tesla, nor has it developed an autonomous platform like Tesla or its competitors such as Alphabet‘s Waymo or Cruise, the autonomous driving company owned by General Motors.

Nonetheless, Uber predicts a bright future in self-driving technology, and investors have reason to believe it can succeed. The company operates a booking platform that claims 170 million monthly active users worldwide. That far surpasses its U.S. rival Lyft, at around 24 million.

Additionally, Uber has partnered with companies like Waymo and Cruise. Through that alliance, these companies can now book rides through Uber, making Uber’s platform all the more essential.

Consequently, these tech companies can focus on improving self-driving, while Uber can earn revenue by bringing customers to these autonomous vehicle platforms. Such deals could become particularly lucrative for Uber over the next five years as self-driving changes the face of local transportation.

The financial state of Uber

Furthermore, the state of Uber’s business gives the company time to fully prepare for this transition. In the first quarter of 2025, its revenue of $11.5 billion rose 14% compared to year-ago levels. This includes a 15% rise in mobility, which accounted for 56% of the company’s revenue.

Deliveries were 33% of the company’s revenue and increased by 18% over the same period. The remainder of revenue comes from its freight business, whose revenue dropped by 2%. In 2024, revenue surged 18%, confirming its current growth is not a one-time event.

Moreover, Uber has become increasingly profitable. The company earned almost $1.8 billion in net income in Q1, up from a loss of $654 million in the year-ago quarter. That should bolster the company’s existing growth as it turned a full-year profit in the previous two years.

Investors may have already begun to take notice of the rising profits and potential in autonomous driving, as the stock has risen by around 55% since the beginning of the year.

Indeed, a one-time tax benefit in 2024 skewed the P/E ratio, so its 16 earnings multiple may look deceptively low. Still, even at a forward P/E ratio of 26, investors are likely buying into a compelling growth story at a bargain, which may serve as another bullish sign for Uber stock in the second half of the 2020s.

Uber in five years

Over the next five years, Uber is likely to outperform the market by a substantial margin.

Uber has already begun partnering with autonomous vehicle companies, linking prospective customers to robotaxis. Thanks to that rideshare platform, the company is poised to connect drivers worldwide with autonomous vehicles. This should not only expand its customer base but also supercharge revenues, further building on Uber’s profits.

Thanks to the double-digit revenue growth, Uber stock should have an easier time beating the market over the next five years. Additionally, given the stock’s growth in 2025, investors have likely begun to take notice of the company’s rising value proposition. With the stock trading at just 26 times forward earnings, investors might want to consider buying Uber stock while it is relatively inexpensive.

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An American visitor ended up losing $123,000 in crypto after getting into the wrong cab in central London. He said he felt drowsy and blank after taking a cigarette the driver offered him. Thirty minutes later, he woke up on the pavement with a smashed phone and no way to unlock his crypto wallet.

Mistaken Identity At Night

According to My London, Jacob Irwin-Cline hailed what he thought was an Uber at around 1:30 a.m. on May 9, 2025. It wasn’t. The driver looked similar to the person in the app, but the car was different. He didn’t check the plate number. He says he only spotted the mistake after the attack.

US Tourist Says Bitcoin, XRP Worth $123K Stolen After Ride With Fake Uber in London

An American tourist has lost more than $123,000 in crypto after being drugged and abducted by a fake Uber driver in London’s West End.
Read more: https://t.co/6oEsTH79ig pic.twitter.com/uIu9ZijSK7

— Mars Signals (@MarsSignals) May 21, 2025

Sedative Cigarette Encounter

Based on reports, the driver handed him a cigarette when Jacob was already half asleep. He says it felt odd right away. He thinks it was laced with scopolamine, a powerful sedative. This drug can make you feel calm, confused, or even forget what just happened. He lost consciousness for about 30 minutes. When he woke up, the taxi was gone.

Jacob Irwin-Cline believes he was robbed with the help of scopolamine, a powerful sedative Source: Jacob Irwin-Cline/My London.

Lost Wallet And Cold Facts

His phone was the real prize. It held his private keys and gave full access to his crypto accounts. He later discovered the cab clipped him as he stumbled out. He spent days trying to track down the device. It was never returned. Now he has no way to tap into that $123,000 stash.

Rising Threats To Crypto Holders

This case follows other violent crimes targeting people in the crypto world. On May 3, French police freed the father of a crypto exchange owner after he’d been held for ransom. The kidnappers wanted millions of euros. Days later, masked men tried to shove Paymium CEO Pierre Noizat’s daughter and grandson into a van in broad daylight. They fought back and escaped.

Steps To Stay Safe

Experts urge crypto holders to use hardware wallets for large sums and only keep small amounts on a phone. They say matching every ride-share detail helps too. Check plates, car model, and driver name before you step in. Use long passcodes or biometric locks on phones. And if you carry big assets, think about a travel companion or security guard in unfamiliar places.

The growing number of violent crimes against crypto investors shows that digital money can attract more than just hackers online. It can draw real-world danger. Jacob Irwin-Cline’s loss is a stark reminder that convenience often comes at a cost. Stay alert, check the details, and keep most of your holdings offline. That way, you won’t wake up to a $123,000 hole in your pocket.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

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Plus: Is this the pre-pump quiet we’ve seen before?

GM. We carved up the market like a watermelon at a family BBQ – juice everywhere, and a bunch of people pretending they don’t want the last slice.

Tourist loses $123K in crypto to a fake Uber driver.

News drops: Hawk Tuah girl gets a visit from the FBI, LIBRA memecoin drama update + more

Market flavor today

For the past six months, Bitcoin’s been laying the groundwork – trading sideways and building strength. At least, that’s what Plan C – the guy behind the Bitcoin Quantile Model – says is happening.

Along the way, some long-time holders took a bit of profit, and new retail panicked and bailed. With most of that extra supply out of the way, there’s less selling pressure = the path is now clearer for the price to move up.

And it is moving. Bitcoin is currently just 1.5% away from its all-time high.

But… retail investors are nowhere to be seen.

And while the average person is just standing there like , institutions and corporations are loading up.

Proof: since mid-April, there’s been a net inflow of $6.63B into BTC ETFs.

That’s actually bullish, because retail investors tend to show up late – after prices start increasing and the hype kicks in.

So, basically, the rally might just be getting started.

So, what’s next? Are we getting a one-way ticket to the moon soon?

To get a better read, Sina from 21st Capital used the Bitcoin Quantile Model to explain where we are in the bigger cycle.

The model breaks Bitcoin’s price history into quantiles – slices that show how today’s price compares to the past.

Think of it like a heat scale: the lower the percentage, the cheaper Bitcoin is compared to its history; the higher it is, the more expensive it’s getting.

• If Bitcoin is in a low quantile (like under 25%), it’s historically on the cheaper side → possibly undervalued;

• If it’s up in the high range (say, above 75%), it’s getting closer to its historical peaks → possibly nearing a top.

Right now, Bitcoin is priced with a quantile risk score of 64%.

That puts us near the top of the Transition zone – a range that typically comes right before a major rally. A clean breakout above $109K would likely start the Acceleration phase, where prices can move up fast and hard.

But are we blasting off right now? Probably not.

Sina thinks we’re more likely to get a fake breakout first – where Bitcoin briefly pushes above the all-time high but can’t hold it – then pulls back. According to him, the real rally will come in the second half of the year

Memecoin harvest

Pumps that got me questioning reality:

Data as of 04:50 AM EST.

Check out these memecoins and plenty more here.

You: “I’ve never mined Bitcoin before.”

Also you, in about five minutes: mining Bitcoin

And even if you have mined before, just not on Binance Pool – this one’s for you.

They’re running an event for new miners – with a 1,000 USDC prize pool in token vouchers on the line.

To join it, all you have to do is sign up on Binance, pass KYC, mine a little BTC, and do a some extra tasks.

And since BitDegree’s got your back, there’s a Mission to walk you through the whole thing – plus up to 1,000 Bits for finishing it.

Deadline: August 7. Regret level if you ignore this: 10/10.

Among the many reasons why you should stop / never start smoking: today’s story.

(And if you’re like, “Well, I vape, so I’m good” – hell no, vaping is just as bad plus it’s cringe, so… technically worse.)

Anyways, meet Jacob Irwin-Cline, a tourist from Portland, Oregon, who had a two-day layover in London. That’s obviously too long to just stay at the airport drinking overpriced coffee – he went out exploring.

One night, that exploration led him to The Roxy, a nightclub in Soho.

He had a great night (ok, this might actually be a blatant lie – I wasn’t there and I didn’t ask – but it makes the story juicier, so let’s keep it), and around 1:30 AM, he decided to call it. Uber time.

As he stepped outside and said bye to his friends, a private hire driver waved him over, calling out the name Jacob had saved in the app. The guy looked like his driver’s profile pic, claimed to be Mohammed, which matched the name in the app.

Jacob didn’t have the time to double-check the license plate or the car make. Not good, but, let’s be real, what are the odds of a name and face match not being his ride?

The ride started fine. The guy seemed super chill, super nice. Offered Jacob a cigarette.

“I stopped smoking,” Jacob said.

“Oh, c’mon,” the guy replied.

“… Sure, if you want to bond over a cigarette.”

Nothing too crazy so far, right?.. Wrong.

It wasn’t just a cigarette. It was spiked with a drug that knocks you out while keeping you conscious enough to follow instructions

Now, a bit of background: Jacob’s a crypto investor, who discovered Bitcoin when he was a teenager. And I think you can already guess where this story’s going.

He blacked out for what he thinks was 20 – 30 minutes. During that time, he unwittingly gave the driver access to his phone – and with that, access to his crypto wallets.

He woke up alone in a strange part of London. The damage? About $123,000 gone. That included $72,000 in XRP, $50,000 in Bitcoin, and the rest in smaller altcoins – which was most of his wealth.

Now, this is where I’d normally do a callback to the smoking thing – but it obviously isn’t the moral of the story here.

The real takeaway is that as crypto goes mainstream, so do the scams. And they’re not just online anymore – they’re in the real world too. In taxis. In bars. In random “friendly” moments with a stranger.

So, take precautions! Never leave your drink unattended, check the car before you get in, don’t overshare your crypto wins. Basically, be a little paranoid – it’s self-defense.

… Well, okay, and don’t smoke. It’s bad for you.

News drops

Haliey Welch, aka the Hawk Tuah Girl, said she got a surprise visit from the FBI. They showed up at her grandma’s house asking to talk to her about the HAWK token.

Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, shut down the task force that was investigating the Libra memecoin scandal – a case he was directly involved in. Apparently, they “fulfilled their purpose,” though no clear explanation was given. Not suspicious at all.

Google’s DeepMind launched a tool that can spot whether something – like text, pics, audio, or video – was made with its AI. What’s that smell? Oh, it’s just the sweat of all students who wrote their entire final projects with Google AI.

Juicy memes

Uber Technologies (UBER -2.91%) has navigated the recent stock market volatility well, delivering a solid 23% year-to-date gain for shareholders, while the S&P 500 index is down about 3.5% in 2025 thus far.

The ride-sharing giant is capitalizing on strong demand across its platform, which has led to accelerating profitability. As the company targets new growth opportunities, a compelling case emerges that Uber’s outlook is stronger than ever.

Here are four reasons I believe Uber Technologies stock can make an excellent addition to your portfolio right now.

1. Uber is reporting strong platform demand

For more than a decade, Uber has redefined personal mobility, becoming a cultural shorthand for convenient, on-demand transportation. The company’s growth trajectory has been remarkable, with its monthly active platform consumers (MAPCs) now exceeding 170 million — more than double the 80 million it reported in 2018. In 2024, the company facilitated 11.3 billion trips worldwide, which generated $44 billion in net revenue, up 18% year over year.

It’s not just its ride-sharing service fueling this momentum. Uber has successfully introduced several new transportation options in recent years while leveraging its technology ecosystem into services like food delivery and freight solutions. Not only are more users utilizing an Uber service for the first time, but they’re also increasingly active, taking trips or placing delivery orders more frequently.

This ongoing diversification as Uber continues to enter new markets further strengthens the company’s fundamentals as a high-quality industry leader. Yet, Uber believes it is just getting started, noting that its consumer user base still represents less than 5% of the total addressable adult population in the major countries it serves.

Image source: Getty Images.

2. Uber is a cash-flow juggernaut

Perhaps even more impressive than Uber’s growth is its improved financial position, where earnings and free cash flow have crossed an inflection point. In 2024, earnings per share (EPS) of $4.56 soared compared to $0.87 in 2023, while the $6.9 billion in free cash flow was up 105%.

The expectation is for further profitable growth with an upside for operating margins. Uber’s management has projected optimism toward its outlook, through its $7 billion share repurchasing authorization announced last year. Uber’s ability to return cash to shareholders adds to its appeal as an investment.

3. Uber is positioned to lead with autonomous vehicles

Uber has faced questions about how it will address the rise of autonomous vehicles (AVs), which present both a risk to its driver-based model as well as a massive opportunity. Management acknowledges that mass-scale AV commercialization is years away, with cost, safety, and regulatory challenges ensuring human drivers remain essential to urban mobility for the foreseeable future.

Nevertheless, Uber’s technology and global infrastructure — covering customer support, payments, and fleet management — position it uniquely to support AV operators. Already partnering with leaders like Waymo (an Alphabet subsidiary) and China-based WeRide, Uber integrates autonomous rides into its network in select regions, leveraging these collaborations to tap into a projected $1 trillion market over the next decade.

4. Uber has a compelling valuation

Shares of Uber are trading at 23 times its consensus 2025 EPS estimate, a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio that I view as attractive for a consumer-focused tech titan delivering double-digit percentage growth. While that earnings multiple commands a significant premium over its smaller ride-share rival Lyft (which trades at a forward P/E of 12), Uber’s stronger brand recognition, larger scale, and more diversified, future-proof offerings justify its premium.

A better comparison might be with disruptors like DoorDash, Airbnb, and even Amazon, which lead their categories in the platform economy and trade at forward P/Es above 30. By this measure, Uber stock offers a good mix of growth and value.

Data by YCharts.

Final thoughts

I’m bullish on Uber and predict its shares will continue climbing. I fully expect the stock price to regain its October 2024 all-time high price of $87 by this time next year (it’s currently priced around $74). The company’s combination of strong growth and recurring profitability positions it well to reward shareholders over the long run. Investors confident in Uber’s potential have plenty of reasons to buy the stock for a diversified portfolio.