Part 7/13:
Turning to Rivian, Ives pointed out that despite its ambitious vision and partnerships—like with Amazon—the company has experienced notable setbacks, with deliveries down 7% this quarter and a year-to-date decline of 12%. However, he argued that Rivian's future prospects remain promising if it can successfully raise capital and execute on its production plans.
Tesla's dominance has effectively "eaten Rivian's homework," according to Ives, noting Tesla's remarkable 876% stock increase over the past five years. Rivian's current struggles are seen as short-term and related to production hiccups, but the long-term picture could be bright if Rivian can meet its growth targets, especially in the pickup and SUV markets where EV adoption could reach hundreds of thousands of units annually.