The 7investing Podcast

On 7investing's Livestream show on August 21, I had a conversation with Upstart Holdings' new CEO Paul Gu that included two very important questions.
You see, I had two outstanding questions about Upstart's future strategy that I just wasn't hearing the media or any other investors asking him. 
So I did.
The first was:
"Will Upstart's new secured products like Home and Auto loans will be as disruptive as those for unsecured Consumer loans?"
Or in other words, will your AI models also have an edge in these new markets too?
And the second question was:
"How does Upstart intend to use its new banking charter as a competitive advantage rather than as a distraction to its relationship with regional banking customers?"
Or in other words, will your new banking charter change your business model?
His answers really clarified things and made a ton of sense. 
This short, 15 minute conversation is a must-watch for any investor who owns -- or may soon own -- shares of Upstart Holdings.
0:00 – Welcome & Introduction to Paul Gu, Upstart CEO
1:03 – Upstart's Disruptive Approach to Lending
2:02 – Question 1: Can Upstart's AI Models Scale to Secured Loans?
6:03 – The Strategy: Compounding Growth Beyond Personal Loans
7:01 – Why Upstart's Models Keep Getting Better Over Time
9:38 – Auto & Home Loan Growth Stats
10:03 – Question 2: The National Banking Charter Explained
13:38 – What Investors Are Missing About Upstart
14:59 – Closing Thoughts & Where to Learn More
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Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) just posted record second quarter 2026 results $234 million in quarterly revenue, up 62% year-over-year, and a total backlog of $2.36 billion. Simon Erickson walks through the investor slide deck covering Launch, Space Systems, and the new Space Applications division, then digs into the biggest news of the quarter: Rocket Lab's $8 billion acquisition of Iridium Communications (NASDAQ: IRDM) and its satellite spectrum. Simon also previews how these developments feed into Rocket Lab's discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation model, and what it could mean for the stock price going forward.🔗 Free 7investing trial: https://7investing.com/subscribeThis is 7investing Live, streaming every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10 AM ET, covering earnings breakdowns, DCF valuations, and stock analysis on companies like Rocket Lab, Upstart, and The Trade Desk.Stocks MentionedPublicly Traded:Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB)Iridium Communications (NASDAQ:IRDM)Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE) Upstart Holdings (NASDAQ:UPST)The Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD)Chapters0:00 Welcome to 7investing Live0:42 Today's Topic: Rocket Lab (RKLB) Q2 Earnings3:03 Record Backlog & the Iridium Acquisition5:24 Why Rocket Lab Acquired Iridium7:40 New Space Systems Contracts (Space Force, Victus Haze)10:04 Neutron Rocket & Commercial Contracts11:45 Building the Rocket Lab DCF Valuation Model14:33 Backlog Growth: $2.3B Now, $5B+ by 202716:50 Iridium's Revenue & Accelerated Space Applications Timeline18:24 What This Means for Retail Investors19:04 Good vs. Bad Acquisitions: Lessons from AOL and HP19:55 Wrap-Up & What's Next (Full DCF, Upstart, Trade Desk)#7investing #SimonErickson #RocketLab #RKLBStock #Iridium #SpaceStocks #StockMarket #EarningsReview #DCFValuation #InvestingTips⚠️ This is not investing advice. Please do your own research before making any investment decisions.

The Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) has fallen roughly 90% from its late-2024 highs, and in this episode of 7investing Live, Simon Erickson digs into why. They break down Trade Desk's second-quarter 2026 results, including slowing revenue growth, declining margins, and back-to-back quarterly misses after eight straight years of beating Wall Street estimates.The conversation covers the company's pricing dispute with ad agency Publicis, rising competition from Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and its own demand-side platform, and Trade Desk's newly hired C-suite team brought in to rebuild client relationships. We also discuss client retention trends, the shifting economics of digital advertising take rates, and whether Trade Desk's AI-powered platforms can help it hold its competitive edge.The episode closes with a look at valuation: is Trade Desk's beaten-down stock price already reflecting its challenges, or does it represent a buying opportunity for patient investors?🔗 Free 7investing trial: https://7investing.com/subscribe⚠️ This is not investing advice. Please do your own research before making any investment decisions.Chapters Timestamp Chapter00:00 Show Open & Welcome02:47 Trade Desk's Historic Run: $13 to $130+ a Share04:43 Q2 2026 Earnings: Slowing Growth, Falling Margins08:12 CEO Jeff Green Blames Macro Headwinds10:08 Weak Q3 Guidance & Two Straight Misses11:58 The Publicis Pricing Dispute13:44 Amazon's New DSP: A Direct Threat17:24 New C-Suite Hires: Rebuilding Client Trust21:06 Valuation Check: Is $13 a Share Justified?24:00 The End of the Cookie Story26:42 Take Rates & Industry Consolidation28:21 Kokai AI Platform: Still Best-in-Class?31:01 Wrap-Up & What's Coming This WeekHashtags#7investing #SimonErickson #TradeDesk #TTD #DigitalAdvertising #StockMarket #Amazon #AdTech #StockAnalysis #Investing

The Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD) has fallen roughly 90% from its late-2024 highs, and in this episode of 7investing Live, Simon Erickson digs into why. They break down Trade Desk's second-quarter 2026 results, including slowing revenue growth, declining margins, and back-to-back quarterly misses after eight straight years of beating Wall Street estimates.The conversation covers the company's pricing dispute with ad agency Publicis, rising competition from Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and its own demand-side platform, and Trade Desk's newly hired C-suite team brought in to rebuild client relationships. We also discuss client retention trends, the shifting economics of digital advertising take rates, and whether Trade Desk's AI-powered platforms can help it hold its competitive edge.The episode closes with a look at valuation: is Trade Desk's beaten-down stock price already reflecting its challenges, or does it represent a buying opportunity for patient investors?🔗 Free 7investing trial: https://7investing.com/subscribe⚠️ This is not investing advice. Please do your own research before making any investment decisions.Chapters Timestamp Chapter00:00 Show Open & Welcome02:47 Trade Desk's Historic Run: $13 to $130+ a Share04:43 Q2 2026 Earnings: Slowing Growth, Falling Margins08:12 CEO Jeff Green Blames Macro Headwinds10:08 Weak Q3 Guidance & Two Straight Misses11:58 The Publicis Pricing Dispute13:44 Amazon's New DSP: A Direct Threat17:24 New C-Suite Hires: Rebuilding Client Trust21:06 Valuation Check: Is $13 a Share Justified?24:00 The End of the Cookie Story26:42 Take Rates & Industry Consolidation28:21 Kokai AI Platform: Still Best-in-Class?31:01 Wrap-Up & What's Coming This WeekHashtags#7investing #SimonErickson #TradeDesk #TTD #DigitalAdvertising #StockMarket #Amazon #AdTech #StockAnalysis #Investing

Simon Erickson and Heather Horton break down Upstart Holdings (NASDAQ:UPST) Q2 2026 earnings, released the day before this live stream. New CEO Paul Gu, one of the company's original co-founders, posted his own recap directly on X just 100 days into the role, a move Simon highlights as a sign the company is finally learning to speak Wall Street's language rather than getting lost in the weeds of its AI credit models. Upstart uses proprietary AI models, drawing on more than 1,000 data points instead of a traditional FICO score, to originate consumer loans in a lending market Simon describes as worth more than a trillion dollars.The episode covers total loan originations of $4.2 billion, up 50% year over year across 558,000 loans, along with a breakdown of unsecured personal loan growth versus a rapidly scaling auto and home loan business. Simon and Heather also walk through Upstart's contribution profit, total net revenue, and its return to GAAP net income for the quarter, along with the company's newly reaffirmed three-year growth targets through 2028. They close with a discussion of Upstart's pending federal banking charter and what that could mean for how the company funds future loans.🔗 Free 7investing trial: https://7investing.com/subscribeStocks MentionedPublicly Traded:Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST)#7investing #SimonErickson #Upstart #UPST #AIstocks #FintechStocks #EarningsReport #StockAnalysis #ArtificialIntelligence