Building a Streaming Empire One Margin at a Time

Author

Noah Zelvis
July 18, 2025

Hello and welcome to the Tech Stock Insider, the twice-weekly newsletter covering the biggest opportunities in the tech world.

Today, we’ll look into the latest tech news, highlight some recent movers, and investigate an under-the-radar tech stock with potential.

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Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI Launches $50 Million Fund to Support Nonprofits and Community Innovation

OpenAI is putting $50 million toward building stronger connections with nonprofit and community-based organizations, marking a new chapter in how the company approaches its mission.

While the investment is relatively small in the context of its broader ambitions, it reflects a growing emphasis on aligning AI development with public interest.

The fund comes at a pivotal moment, as OpenAI reworks its internal structure to secure the funding it needs to compete in the AI race—without abandoning its original goal of creating technology that benefits everyone.

Part of this restructuring involves turning its for-profit arm into a public benefit corporation, a move that keeps the nonprofit parent involved while opening new doors for long-term capital.

By funding initiatives in areas like education, healthcare, and economic opportunity, OpenAI seems to be testing how far it can push the boundaries of AI's social impact while still appealing to backers and partners.

For investors, especially those following Microsoft’s major stake in the company, this shift could signal untapped potential.

If these community-driven efforts evolve into scalable solutions, it might unlock new markets and public-sector interest. In a landscape where trust and innovation rarely move in sync, OpenAI may be trying to prove it can do both.

Audio

Spotify Just Made Audiobooks a Family Affair With Its Biggest Change Yet 

Spotify (NYSE: SPOT) is expanding audiobooks to more listeners with a major upgrade to its Premium plans.

For the first time, members on Family and Duo subscriptions can access monthly audiobook hours. Previously, only the plan manager could use the audiobook benefit.

Two new offerings are at the center of the update. The first, Audiobooks+, provides the plan manager with an additional 15 hours of listening time each month.

This builds on the existing 15 hours already included in a regular Premium plan, providing users with more flexibility to complete longer titles or explore additional ones.

The second plan, Audiobooks+ for Plan Members, offers individual, family, or Duo members a 15-hour audiobook allowance.

The change removes a long-standing barrier for households with multiple users who want to listen without sharing a single account.

This update is now live in 11 international markets, including Germany, France, and Australia, after earlier trials in Ireland and Canada. U.S. users currently access audiobooks through a separate plan, but Spotify says this expanded setup is coming soon.

To activate the feature, users request audiobook access from their plan manager, who adds it to the subscription.

Additional listening time can be purchased if the available hours are exhausted before the next billing cycle.

Spotify’s audiobook catalog now includes over 375,000 titles.

The new structure allows subscribers to experiment with new books without committing to individual purchases, aligning with the company’s push into AI narration and multilingual titles.

Audiobooks are no longer a solo feature.

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Enterprise Software

New Oracle Tool Gives AI Agents Direct Access to Enterprise Data 

Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) launches a powerful new tool for enterprises building AI agents on its databases.

The new Model Context Protocol (MCP) server enables developers to deploy intelligent applications that can autonomously query, reason, and deliver insights from Oracle Database systems without requiring custom integration layers.

Unlike older methods that relied on hardcoded queries or middleware, Oracle’s MCP server allows large language models and AI agents to interact directly with structured data.

It’s already integrated with SQLcl, Oracle’s command-line interface, and available within the SQL Developer extension for Visual Studio Code.

For enterprise IT teams, this is a major productivity unlock.

In sectors such as banking, healthcare, and retail, the server opens the door to faster insight generation, autonomous compliance reporting, and real-time decision-making, all within the Oracle ecosystem.

Because it uses context-aware access and credential management, businesses can tightly control what AI sees and does.

Those investing in enterprise-grade AI tools will likely view this as a smart move.

Rather than chasing hype with flashier models, Oracle is fortifying its core platform by leveraging AI within the data layer itself.

Recent Tech Movers

Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER) is riding new momentum after announcing a 2026 rollout of robotaxis in partnership with Lucid and Nuro.

The move is part of a larger shift toward automation and logistics scale, building on Uber’s dominance in ride-hailing and delivery.

While the partnership doesn’t immediately change earnings forecasts, it sets up Uber as a front-runner in autonomous consumer mobility.

With shares up 43 percent year-to-date and the company trading near all-time highs, the next catalyst is likely tied to profitability expansion and guidance for the third quarter.

The risk here is that expectations are starting to bake in future tech upside before real revenue arrives.

Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) has had its price target lifted to $470 by Rosenblatt, as Bitcoin surges and the crypto narrative returns.

The thesis is simple, as Coinbase is the blue-chip crypto name, now in the S&P 500, with improving volumes, expanding stablecoin usage, and a wave of on-chain product releases.

It’s also pushing beyond pure exchange revenue.

Six acquisitions this year, including Opyn's leadership team, are helping build a decentralized future while still monetizing centralized trust.

The Perplexity AI partnership adds more firepower for traders seeking real-time data integration.

Despite being up nearly 60 percent YTD and bumping against its all-time high, valuation remains “reasonable” at 24x 2026 EBITDA, according to Rosenblatt.

The bigger question: can it exceed earnings expectations in the face of a crypto cooldown?

SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ: SOFI) is quietly transitioning from a fintech disruptor to a full-stack digital bank.

The stock is up 56 percent YTD, with recent partnerships pointing to a bold new direction, expanding retail access to alternative investments like AI, machine learning, and even space tech.

It’s a move that plays perfectly with SoFi’s millennial base. Fee-based revenue is now 41 percent of total income, up from 26 percent in 2021.

With 11 million members and 15 million products, the cross-sell machine is working.

Q1 results showed 34 percent YoY member growth and 35 percent product growth. Revenue is expected to reach $3.3 billion in 2025.

The catch is that at 75x forward earnings, this stock is not cheap.

However, the premium reflects high retention, substantial deposits, and unit economics that legacy banks can’t match.

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Don’t Overlook This Tech Stock

Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) delivered another clean quarter, with $3.1 billion in profit and revenue up 16 percent to $11.08 billion.

The business is now a financial machine, with high-margin growth fueled by price hikes, advertising expansion, and a pipeline that seems to hit every demographic.

But here’s the real story: Netflix might still be undervalued.

Despite a 43 percent year-to-date gain, shares dipped modestly after Q2 earnings. Some expected an even bigger guidance raise.

But that overlooks the more profound shift. Netflix is growing ARPU, doubling ad revenue, and pulling forward 2026 performance without chasing hype cycles.

It has also raised its full-year revenue guidance to as high as $45.2 billion, surpassing Wall Street’s $44.6 billion estimate.

And its advertising arm is finally going global, with its in-house ad tech suite now rolled out across all markets.

Ad-supported tiers have momentum, and with a subscriber base north of 300 million, even modest ad penetration becomes a billion-dollar lever.

Content remains a strength. “Ginny & Georgia” and “Sirens” are drawing global viewership, while weekly WWE, NFL hits, and the occasional boxing spectacle are proving that Netflix can balance binge-watching with appointment viewing.

The wildcard is trade. Trump’s new tariff threats could hit international production.

In response, Netflix highlighted $125 billion in U.S. investment over five years, which may serve as a hedge against political heat. Expect that narrative to keep surfacing.

Investors may be underappreciating the setup. Q3 guidance was strong, with revenue projected at $11.53 billion, ahead of estimates.

If ad revenue gains are confirmed in the next print, a breakout above $1,340 should be more than likely.

Everything Else

  • Meta is building a pipeline straight out of Cupertino as it hires two senior Apple AI engineers to lead its mixed reality push.

  • Amazon Web Services just joined the AI agent arms race, unveiling a new autonomous toolset aimed at devs building long-chain task execution models.

  • Perplexity is now valued at $18 billion following a new funding round led by IVP and NEA, with investors betting on its search alternative at scale.

  • ChatGPT will soon shop online and make PowerPoint decks for users as OpenAI rolls out tools that blur the line between task automation and full-on agents.

  • Elon Musk's legal war against OpenAI just hit a speed bump after a judge dismissed most of his claims as meritless, casting doubt on the Tesla CEO’s strategy to claw back AI narrative control.

That's our coverage for today; thanks for reading! Reply to this email with feedback or any tech stocks you want me to check out.

Best Regards,
—Noah Zelvis
Tech Stock Insider