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Roblox CEO Baszucki
Roblox co-founder and CEO David Baszucki (Getty Images)
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Roblox tumbles on short seller’s scathing report

Noted short seller Hindenburg Research alleged in a report that the company inflated user metrics. It also called the online gaming platform a “pedophile hellscape” and attacked its committment to user safety.

Matt Phillips
10/8/24 11:57AM

Online gaming platform Roblox face-planted on Tuesday, after short seller Hindenburg Research published a searing report alleging that the company “is lying to investors, regulators, and advertisers about the number of ‘people’ on its platform.”

Hindenburg — which has made some good calls lately, like its short position on SuperMicro, which is down more than 50% over the last six months, and last year’s report on Icahn Enterprises — also spotlights the sensitive area of user safety. Citing an interview with an anonymous “former senior product designer,” Hindenburg writes that “Roblox is compromising child safety in order to report growth to investors.”

Roblox disputed Hindenburg’s statements.

“We totally reject the claims made in the report. The financial claims made by Hindenburg Research are simply misleading,” Stefanie Notaney, a spokeswoman for the company, wrote in a statement to Sherwood, later adding, “We firmly believe that Roblox is a safe and secure platform and in the financial metrics we report.”

The Hindenburg report, however, adds to the pressure that has been building on the company, which has never notched a profit as a public entity. That’s part of the reason the stock has been on a long downward slide for most of the time since it began trading.

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Rocket lab soars to new record close amid rally for retail faves

Rocket Lab ripped by roughly 10% Friday to close at a new all-time high, riding an upturn of retail enthusiasm for a coterie of tech-themed favorites, even as the broader market was more or less flat on the day.

Goldman Sachs’ basket of “retail favorites” — its heaviest weights are Reddit, AppLovin, and Tempus AI — was the second-biggest gainer among the company’s flagship US equity baskets on Friday, rising about 1.6%. The S&P was almost dead flat.

It’s not Rocket Lab’s first retail rodeo, as the money-losing company has more than doubled this year and is up nearly 700% over the last 12 months.

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Six Flags pops after reiterating its guidance as theme park attendance rebounds

Six Flags shares rose more than 7% today after the company reported a rebound in attendance and early season pass sales heading into the fall. The nine-week period ended August 31 saw 17.8 million guests, up about 2% from the same stretch last year, with stronger momentum in the final four weeks. 

More importantly, Six Flags reaffirmed its full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance of $860 million to $910 million, showing confidence that its cost and operations strategy can stay strong for the duration of the year. Riding that wave, Six Flags also said early 2026 season pass unit sales are pacing ahead of last year, and average season pass prices are up about 3%.

The good vibes come despite a drop in in-park per-capita spending, especially from admissions, where promotions and changes to attendance mix (which parks or days guests visit) have weighed. Earlier this week, the amusement giant signed a new agreement that extended its position as the exclusive amusement park partner for Peanuts™ in North America through 2030.

Despite the rally, Six Flags shares are down about 52% year to date.

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Rivian turns red on the year, squeezed by a recall and the looming end of the EV tax credit

Shares of EV maker Rivian are down more than 5% on Friday following the company’s recall of 24,214 vehicles due to a software issue. The stock move erases Rivian’s year-to-date gain and turns the company negative on the year.

Rivian’s 2025 model year R1S and R1T are affected by the defect, which was identified after a vehicle’s hands-free highway assist software failed to identify another vehicle on the road, causing a low-speed collision. Rivian said it’s released an over-the-air update to fix the issue.

The recall marks Rivian’s fifth this year, affecting nearly 70,000 of its vehicles.

Rivian’s shares are down more than 20% from their 2025 high, which came prior to the passage of President Trump’sbig, beautiful bill.” Through the legislation, the $7,500 EV tax credit is set to expire at the end of the month.

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