Influencer’s Tesla Autopilot Prank Drives 27% Jump in Luminar Stock
24 March 2025 · Uncategorized ·
Source: · https://ccc.technews.tw/2025/03/18/luminar-stock-price-soar-after-viral-video/
The stock price of LiDAR manufacturer, Luminar, surged by a remarkable 27% in one day—not due to new orders but thanks to a viral video uploaded by American influencer Mark Rober. In the video, Rober humorously mocked Tesla's autopilot feature, indirectly boosting Luminar’s profile.
Once considered essential for autonomous driving technology, LiDAR has been sidelined as companies like Tesla and many Chinese automakers have shifted towards purely visual solutions instead of expensive LiDAR systems. Over the past year, Luminar's stock price plummeted by up to 80%, reflecting this change in market trends.
Just a week before Luminar was set to release its latest quarterly report, Mark Rober—whose YouTube channel boasts over 65 million subscribers—uploaded a video titled "Can You Fool A Self-Driving Car?" The video quickly went viral within two days, prompting the question: how does this popularity relate to Luminar's stock price?
The hour-long video features product placements by various brands but primarily focuses on five scenarios comparing Tesla’s and another vehicle equipped with Luminar LiDAR in their ability to accurately detect objects ahead for emergency braking.
Despite Mark Rober driving the Tesla himself while someone else drove the LiDAR-equipped car, despite a lack of camera shots showing brake pedals being pressed during emergencies, unclear Autopilot indicator lights, and constant mentions of Luminar's full name throughout—the results aligned with public expectations: The Tesla performed poorly compared to vehicles equipped with Luminar’s technology.
Former NASA/Apple Engineer and current YouTuber @MarkRober put Luminar’s LiDAR technology through some extreme tests–check out how our LiDAR tech performed for yourself : https://t.co/yOAZ5SV4Rw
— Luminar (@luminartech) March 15, 2025
The video successfully enhanced the image of Luminar and its stock price rose from $5 to over $6.5 in a single day—a significant increase of 27%. Meanwhile, Tesla's share prices continued their downward trend with an additional drop of 4.8%, closing at $238.
Although LiDAR operates differently than radar (using laser light for distance measurement), it provides highly accurate three-dimensional spatial information crucial in comparison to purely visual solutions. Many companies initially believed that combining high-precision maps and LiDAR was necessary for full autonomy, but the cost of such systems has led manufacturers like Tesla towards developing pure vision-based technologies instead.
Luminar's financial performance throughout 2024 did not meet expectations; revenues fell short, resulting in significant losses amounting to $482 million—a source of considerable concern among investors. On a positive note for Luminar, its main clients are Mercedes-Benz and Volvo—brands known for prioritizing safety—which has helped maintain investor interest.
Despite NVIDIA's support through their long-term collaboration on autonomous driving technology, Luminar’s stock price continued to fall sharply in 2024 until it underwent a reverse split of 15:1 at the end of that year to avoid delisting from NASDAQ due to low share prices; otherwise, its current value might have been as little as $0.3 per share.
In summary, while Mark Rober's video successfully boosted Luminar’s profile and stock price temporarily, it remains uncertain how they will sustain this momentum in the future.
(Header image source: Luminar)
Further Reading:
Once considered essential for autonomous driving technology, LiDAR has been sidelined as companies like Tesla and many Chinese automakers have shifted towards purely visual solutions instead of expensive LiDAR systems. Over the past year, Luminar's stock price plummeted by up to 80%, reflecting this change in market trends.
Just a week before Luminar was set to release its latest quarterly report, Mark Rober—whose YouTube channel boasts over 65 million subscribers—uploaded a video titled "Can You Fool A Self-Driving Car?" The video quickly went viral within two days, prompting the question: how does this popularity relate to Luminar's stock price?
The hour-long video features product placements by various brands but primarily focuses on five scenarios comparing Tesla’s and another vehicle equipped with Luminar LiDAR in their ability to accurately detect objects ahead for emergency braking.
Despite Mark Rober driving the Tesla himself while someone else drove the LiDAR-equipped car, despite a lack of camera shots showing brake pedals being pressed during emergencies, unclear Autopilot indicator lights, and constant mentions of Luminar's full name throughout—the results aligned with public expectations: The Tesla performed poorly compared to vehicles equipped with Luminar’s technology.
Former NASA/Apple Engineer and current YouTuber @MarkRober put Luminar’s LiDAR technology through some extreme tests–check out how our LiDAR tech performed for yourself : https://t.co/yOAZ5SV4Rw
— Luminar (@luminartech) March 15, 2025
The video successfully enhanced the image of Luminar and its stock price rose from $5 to over $6.5 in a single day—a significant increase of 27%. Meanwhile, Tesla's share prices continued their downward trend with an additional drop of 4.8%, closing at $238.
Although LiDAR operates differently than radar (using laser light for distance measurement), it provides highly accurate three-dimensional spatial information crucial in comparison to purely visual solutions. Many companies initially believed that combining high-precision maps and LiDAR was necessary for full autonomy, but the cost of such systems has led manufacturers like Tesla towards developing pure vision-based technologies instead.
Luminar's financial performance throughout 2024 did not meet expectations; revenues fell short, resulting in significant losses amounting to $482 million—a source of considerable concern among investors. On a positive note for Luminar, its main clients are Mercedes-Benz and Volvo—brands known for prioritizing safety—which has helped maintain investor interest.
Despite NVIDIA's support through their long-term collaboration on autonomous driving technology, Luminar’s stock price continued to fall sharply in 2024 until it underwent a reverse split of 15:1 at the end of that year to avoid delisting from NASDAQ due to low share prices; otherwise, its current value might have been as little as $0.3 per share.
In summary, while Mark Rober's video successfully boosted Luminar’s profile and stock price temporarily, it remains uncertain how they will sustain this momentum in the future.
(Header image source: Luminar)
Further Reading: