Cathie Wood drops $8.9 million on energy stock | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

Whenever Cathie Wood trims her long-time favorite stock in Tesla (TSLA), it usually grabs headlines.

However, what matters more is where that capital goes next.

In ARK’s Dec. 22 trades, Wood scaled back exposure to some of her biggest winners, while leaning harder into smaller, more speculative bets such as Oklo (OKLO).

She scooped up 107,321 shares, a purchase worth nearly $8.9 million, indicating a fresh conviction following the stock’s recent pullback rather than a short-term trade.

Nuclear energy stock Oklo has become doubly attractive following its recent pullback (down 38% in the past three months, still up 293% year to date).

Wood is determined not to miss the next leg of the powerful nuclear rally.

ARK’s renewed buying shows she’s a business that fits squarely into her long-running “disruptive innovation” playbook.

In fact, Bank of America forecasts nuclear to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the atomic energy trend.

The bank framed the incredible opportunity as potentially a $10 trillion market, according to Webull, making the case that global reactor capacity may need to triple by 2050.

Hence, it’s less about short-term momentum and more about a conviction that Oklo’s power-packed fission technology will become a meaningful energy solution.

Additionally, it aligns with the broader ARK thesis.

As AI computing scales, demand for round-the-clock power is rising at an incredible pace, and next-generation nuclear could step up where intermittent renewables are clearly falling short.

For a little color, in the U.S., the EPRI estimates that data centers could reach up to 9% of combined electricity generation by 2030, a load that requires 24/7 stability, Reuters reports.

Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest bought nearly $8.9 million worth of Oklo shares while trimming Tesla and other top holdings.

Photo by Bloomberg on Getty Images

Cathie Wood’s Monday, Dec. 22 trades

Cathie Wood made multiple targeted moves across ARK ETFs on Dec. 22.

ARK’s buys

Oklo: Bought 107,321 shares for about $8.9 million, signaling renewed conviction after a pullback.
Archer Aviation: Added 446,848 shares, worth roughly $3.6 million.
WeRide: Bought 520,697 shares for about $4.6 million.
Pacific Biosciences: Added 798,771 shares, valued at $1.5 million.
CRISPR Therapeutics: Bought 787,793 shares for roughly $4.4 million.
Intellia Therapeutics: Added 187,880 shares, worth about $1.7 million.

ARK’s sells

Tesla: Sold 60,715 shares, valued at about $29.2 million, extending a gradual reduction after a strong rally.
Rocket Lab: Sold 232,425 shares worth roughly $16.4 million, a clear case of profit-taking after a 200%+ year-to-date run.
Shopify: Sold 33,164 shares for about $5.6 million.
Roku: Sold 40,217 shares, valued at roughly $4.4 million.

Oklo’s big idea comes with big risks

Oklo aims to deliver round-the-clock, carbon-free power through its compact, fast nuclear reactors.

The aim is to pair small reactors with recycled nuclear fuel, in hopes of providing reliable baseload power where green energy falls short.

Naturally, the bear case on Oklo appears a lot more compelling at this point.

It hasn’t developed a reactor yet, as it aims to commercialize a new small fast-reactor design while also building from the ground up a recycled-fuel supply chain.

On the other hand, the bulls argue that Oklo is remarkably far along for a nuclear startup.

It secured a site and fuel for its first 15-megawatt Aurora reactor, targeting a 2027 startup, and has already broken ground at the Idaho National Laboratory.

While revenues may remain modest this decade, the upside is massive, especially with the International Energy Agency predicting SMRs to reach 40-120 GW by 2050, a market Oklo is racing to lead.

Big backers, big vision

One reason Wood may be comfortable leaning into Oklo is that notable individuals have backed it over the years.

OpenAI’s Sam Altman invested early, recruited Oklo to Y Combinator, and served as chairman for close to a decade, according to CNBC.
Funding also came from Palantir founder Peter Thiel (via Hydrazine Capital), Dustin Moskovitz, Ron Conway, Tim Draper, and Accel’s Kevin Efrusy.
CEO Jacob DeWitte links Oklo’s incredible mission to the AI power surge, making the claim that reliable nuclear power becomes a lot more valuable as AI scales.

Flying cars get their moment

Before wrapping up, it’s worth noting that Wood isn’t just betting big on nuclear.

She has shown a strong appetite for autonomy in her December 22 trades, with ARK adding shares of Archer Aviation, a leading force in the once-laughable “flying car” space.

More Wall Street

Archer’s stock has surged for familiar reasons, driven by visible progress and a growing belief that autonomous technology may actually work.

It recently flew its piloted Midnight air taxi in public, NBC Miami reported, showcasing a sleek eVTOL aircraft that can take off vertically and cruise like a plane.

On top of that, it inked a massive deal tied to the launch of air taxi services in Osaka, its first major international foothold.

Equally important for Archer is its robust balance sheet, with nearly $1.8 billion in cash for funding operations through FAA certification and early production, according to MarketBeat.