Investor Ross Gerber sees a golden opportunity for Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) staring it right in the face: Gasoline prices in Los Angeles are around $6.50 a gallon, yet the electric vehicle maker isn’t flooding the airwaves with ads telling drivers there is another option.

Speaking on Yahoo Finance’s podcast recently, the longtime Tesla investor and CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth Management said the missed opportunity hit him while watching Monday Night Football. He saw an ad for Tesla CEO Elon Musk‘s satellite internet service Starlink and immediately wondered why Tesla wasn’t doing the same.

Don’t Miss:

• Your $2 Million Portfolio Can Cost $20,000 per Year. Do You Know What You’re Paying?
• A Real Estate Investment With No House, No Tenant And No 10-Year Hold?

‘How Come There Are No Tesla Ads?’

“How come there are no Tesla ads when gas is $6.50 a gallon here in LA and Tesla could be selling tons of cars?” Gerber said. “Nobody even tries to sell an electric vehicle in the highest gas prices we’ve seen in 20 years.”

For Gerber, the lack of advertising reflects a much bigger frustration with Tesla’s management.

“It’s just infuriating to me how poorly run Tesla is compared to SpaceX and compared to how it used to be run when Elon actually worked there,” he said.

Gerber has been involved with Tesla for years and was once among the company’s more prominent supporters. But his criticism has become increasingly pointed as Tesla has shifted attention toward autonomous driving, robotaxis and humanoid robots.

He also pushed back on the company’s Full Self-Driving branding.

“Full self-driving doesn’t work,” Gerber said. “It’s pretty good self-driving, but it’s not full.”

Trending: AI Doesn’t Run On Chips Alone. This Startup Is Building The Energy Storage Technology Behind The Power Demand.

Still, he hasn’t written Tesla off. Gerber said he sees an opportunity for the company, but believes execution has become the central problem.

“They have to execute and they’ve just not been executing,” he said.

Gerber’s comments also highlight just how much the energy business is changing. Electric cars are one part of that shift, but generating renewable electricity is only half the challenge. That power also needs to be stored so it is available when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.

That’s the problem Qnetic is trying to solve. The U.S. startup has developed a battery that uses kinetic energy to store electricity and release it when needed. The company says its system uses no chemicals and promises a lifespan of more than 30 years, compared with up to about 10 years for lithium batteries. Qnetic is currently accepting new investors for those interested in the company’s approach to supporting 24/7 energy demand.

Tesla’s Next Act Still Has to Prove Itself

Tesla is counting on more than car sales for its future growth. The company is betting heavily on autonomous vehicles and its Optimus humanoid robot, but Gerber isn’t convinced either business will necessarily produce the economics investors expect.

See Also: Marvel. Star Wars. Pokémon. See Why Investors Are Paying Attention To The Next Big IP Company.

He said on the podcast that robotaxis could eventually become commoditized as more vehicles hit the road. Waymo had already emailed him an offer for 30% off his next three rides after he saw large numbers of its vehicles being deployed around Santa Monica.

“If we have more cabs than demand, what happens then?” Gerber asked. “Pricing goes lower, right?”

He is even more skeptical about humanoid robots, questioning whether machines can replicate the complicated movements people perform every day with their hands, feet and eyes.

That leaves Tesla in an unusual position. The company still has enormous ambitions, but Gerber believes investors are increasingly relying on those future businesses becoming successful.

“I don’t think Tesla’s a faith-based stock anymore,” he said. “I call it a hope-based stock.”

Image: Shutterstock

Read Next: Juan Valdez Just Went From 55 Target Stores To More Than 300. What’s Behind The Colombian Coffee Brand’s Rapid U.S. Expansion?

Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market

Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That’s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn’t tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.

Arrived

Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors can buy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly.

Realberry

For accredited investors looking beyond traditional stocks and bonds, Realberry provides access to institutional-quality real estate investments, including a preferred equity opportunity in the 297-room Hyatt Place Boston Seaport. The firm has invested across multiple property types and markets, with 13 million square feet of real estate across seven U.S. states and $481 million in cumulative distributions paid to investors as of Q4 2025.

Skybound Entertainment

Entertainment franchises can become valuable long-term assets when they successfully expand across multiple platforms. Skybound Entertainment, the company behind The Walking Dead and Invincible, develops original intellectual property that spans comics, television, film, video games, merchandise, and licensing. With more than 250 IPs in its portfolio and a strategy focused on retaining franchise rights while scaling successful stories across media, Skybound offers investors exposure to the growing entertainment and creator economy through a private company rather than traditional public market investments.

Green Coffee Company

Coffee is a daily staple for millions of consumers, but investors rarely get direct exposure to the brands and supply chains behind it. Green Coffee Company offers a way to participate in the growth of the coffee market through its exclusive U.S. and Canadian distribution rights for Colombian brand Juan Valdez. With the brand expanding across major retailers including Target, Walgreens and Kroger, and GCC reporting 26X revenue growth over four years, the company is positioning itself to bring a well-known Colombian coffee brand to more consumers across North America.

American PowerGen

As artificial intelligence drives a surge in electricity demand, reliable power generation is becoming a critical part of the technology ecosystem. American PowerGen is developing natural gas-fired power plants in Texas, a fast-growing market fueled by AI data centers, manufacturing expansion, and population growth. By advancing projects through permitting, fuel supply, and grid interconnection, the company is positioning itself to help meet rising energy needs while offering investors exposure to the infrastructure supporting the next wave of AI and industrial growth.

Qnetic

As electricity demand rises alongside AI, data centers, and renewable energy, long-duration energy storage is becoming increasingly important. Qnetic is developing a kinetic energy storage system designed to provide long-lasting, chemical-free electricity storage, offering investors exposure to the infrastructure supporting a more resilient and reliable power grid.

EquityMultiple 

For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000, with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process. 

FarmTogether

Farmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors, FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U.S. farmland starting at $15,000 — fully managed, with no landlord headaches.

Fundrise

Private real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio. Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth.