Keith Noonan and Lee Samaha, The Motley Fool

Sat, Jun 21, 2025, 4:15 AM5 min read

• Tesla is a risky stock, but it's very well positioned to profit from the successful development of its robotaxi concept.

• AMD could be on the verge of making big gains in the AI hardware market.

• These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires ›

The first half of 2025 will draw to a close at the end of this month, and investors have been treated to some big twists and turns in the year so far. Despite some major sell-offs in the spring, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite are up roughly 2% and 1%, respectively, as of this writing.

While macroeconomic and geopolitical factors could inject additional rounds of volatility into the market, backing great companies for the long haul remains one of the best paths to generating strong investment returns. With some promising companies still trading at significant discounts compared to previous highs, read on to see why two Motley Fool contributors think that Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) stand out as smart long-term investment plays right now.

Lee Samaha (Tesla): Tesla stock trades down about 22% in 2025 and down about 33% from its all-time high. It hasn't been an easy year for the company or its CEO, Elon Musk, with ongoing relatively high interest rates curtailing car sales overall, and Tesla appearing to lose some ground to its rival electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers. Meanwhile, Musk's political involvements have likely caused some brand damage, and the Cybertruck has proven to be a disappointment.

That said, there's an odd logic to the market's reaction to these events. The investment case for Tesla has never been purely based on it as an EV manufacturer. Instead, the main value in the company lies in its potential to generate a massive stream of long-term recurring revenue from robotaxis, possibly on a ride-per-mile basis, as well as selling unsupervised, full self-driving (FSD) software. The good news is Tesla plans to launch its robotaxi service, albeit on a small scale, in Austin, Texas, on June 22.

Naturally, Tesla's position as the leading EV company (and manufacturer of the best-selling vehicle in the world, the Model Y, and potentially the manufacturer of a low-cost dedicated robotaxi, the Cybercab) gives it a significant advantage in a market where competitors like Ford Motor Company and General Motors have unfulfilled ambitions. Indeed, there is a reason why leading automakers and technology companies have invested billions in developing commercially viable robotaxis.