10 Best “Moonshot” Tech Stocks to Buy According to Short Sellers

In this article, we look at the 10 Best “Moonshot” Tech Stocks to Buy According to Short Sellers.

Moonshot tech stocks are not built for calm investors, tidy spreadsheets, or people who value stability and uninterrupted sleep. They sit where large addressable markets meet fragile balance sheets, volatile narratives, and heavy skepticism. That is exactly why short sellers matter in this corner of the market. A short sale generally reflects a bet that a stock will fall, though it can also be used as a hedge; when the stock rises instead, short sellers can face losses that intensify the move.

The setup is especially combustible in 2026 because several speculative technology themes still have real capital behind them. Reuters reported in February that Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft were expected to invest about $650 billion this year to expand AI-related infrastructure, up sharply from 2025. Battery demand has also expanded as EV sales and grid storage needs have grown, while McKinsey noted that lithium-ion battery demand more than doubled between 2022 and 2025. Space technology is drawing similar speculative oxygen, with Reuters reporting that global space investment reached $7.95 billion in the first quarter of 2026, a record level.

That does not necessarily make these stocks safe. It makes them polarized. The best “moonshot” tech stocks in this group are not conventional compounders; they are battleground names where AI, automation, robotics, EVs, health platforms, and space technology collide with short interest, execution risk, and retail enthusiasm. In other words, tiny rocket engines strapped to very nervous balance sheets.

Methodology

For this article, we screened U.S.-listed technology and technology-adjacent companies with high short interest as a percentage of float, focusing on names tied to speculative growth themes such as AI software, automation, robotics, EVs, batteries, space technology, defense AI, and digital health platforms. We then narrowed the list to stocks that fit the “moonshot” profile: companies with large addressable markets, volatile trading histories, strong retail interest, elevated execution risk, and substantial upside. The final ranking is based on short interest as a percentage of float, from highest to lowest.

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10. Lucid Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:LCID)

Lucid Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:LCID) is one of the best “moonshot” tech stocks to buy according to short sellers. The stock’s latest publicly reported short interest stood at 48.97% of float as of April 30, 2026, according to MarketBeat.

Lucid’s moonshot case sharpened on April 14, when the company said Uber would lift its total investment in Lucid to $500 million and expand its purchase commitment to at least 35,000 Lucid vehicles for a future global robotaxi service. The agreement covers Lucid Gravity and future midsize vehicles, turning LCID from a premium EV survival story into a more direct bet on autonomous mobility infrastructure. Lucid also announced a $550 million investment from an affiliate of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund as part of the same update.

The reason short sellers remain crowded into the name is also plain to see. On May 5, Lucid reported first-quarter revenue of $282.5 million, up 20% from the prior-year period, while production rose 149% to 5,500 vehicles. Deliveries, however, came in at 3,093 after a supplier issue hit Gravity SUV shipments in February. Reuters also reported that Lucid suspended its full-year forecast after missing quarterly revenue estimates, even as March orders rebounded and its post-raise liquidity rose to about $4.7 billion.

That is the LCID setup in one frame: huge robotaxi optionality, premium EV technology, fresh capital, and a short base betting that execution, dilution, and demand will keep Gravity undefeated.

Lucid Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:LCID) designs and manufactures luxury electric vehicles, including the Lucid Air sedan and Lucid Gravity SUV, and develops EV platform and powertrain technologies for consumer and commercial mobility markets.

9. SoundHound AI, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOUN)

SoundHound AI, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOUN) is one of the best “moonshot” tech stocks to buy according to short sellers. The stock’s latest publicly reported short interest stood at 40.75% of float as of April 30, 2026, according to MarketBeat.

The voice and agentic AI company gave bulls fresh material on May 7, when it reported first-quarter revenue of $44.2 million, up 52% year-over-year. SoundHound also reaffirmed its 2026 revenue outlook of $225 million to $260 million and said its planned acquisition of LivePerson would help create an end-to-end conversational AI platform spanning voice, messaging, and digital customer engagement. The deal is expected to give the combined company a $500 million revenue opportunity from the existing customer base alone.

The moonshot case also got a product layer on May 5, when SoundHound launched OASYS, its self-learning, orchestrated agentic AI platform. The company said OASYS can build, orchestrate, evaluate, and improve AI agents over time across channels such as phones, web chats, in-vehicle systems, kiosks, and other digital or physical touchpoints.

Short sellers still have plenty to chew on. The company posted a GAAP net loss of $25.0 million and adjusted EBITDA loss of $26.7 million in the first quarter, while the LivePerson deal adds integration risk to a story already fueled by aggressive AI expectations. SOUN is the kind of stock where the bull case revolves around cars, restaurants, banks, and call centers, while the bear case quietly asks who pays for the rocket fuel.

SoundHound AI, Inc. (NASDAQ:SOUN) provides voice and conversational AI technology for automotive, restaurants, smart devices, customer service, healthcare, retail, financial services, and other enterprise markets.

8. Ondas Inc. (NASDAQ:ONDS)

Ondas Inc. (NASDAQ:ONDS) is one of the best “moonshot” tech stocks to buy according to short sellers. The stock’s latest publicly reported short interest stood at 34.27% of float as of April 30, 2026, according to MarketBeat.

Ondas gave the moonshot case another defense-AI layer on May 18, when it agreed to acquire Omnisys Ltd., an Israeli developer of AI-powered Battle Resource Optimization software for multi-domain defense planning and real-time decision-making. Ondas said Omnisys’ platform will act as an orchestration layer across its autonomous systems portfolio, helping coordinate sensors, autonomous platforms, and defense assets across complex missions.

That follows a May 14 quarterly results that explain why the stock has attracted speculative heat. Ondas reported first-quarter revenue of $50.1 million, up from $4.3 million a year earlier, and raised its full-year 2026 revenue target to at least $390 million. The company also said pro forma backlog reached $457 million, helped by order activity and acquisitions, while its Palantir partnership is being used to integrate AI-driven ISR and command capabilities across air, ground, and stratospheric systems.

Short sellers still have a clear case. Ondas is scaling through a rapid acquisition spree, and operating expenses rose sharply, resulting in an adjusted EBITDA loss of $10.9 million in the first quarter. Management also expects adjusted EBITDA losses to remain elevated in the second quarter before improving later in 2026. This is a very moonshot setup: drones, counter-UAS, defense robotics, Palantir, and battlefield AI on one side; integration risk and cash-burn gravity on the other.

Ondas Inc. (NASDAQ:ONDS) provides autonomous systems, robotics, counter-drone technologies, private wireless networks, and mission-critical defense and security platforms.

7. Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST)

Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST) is one of the best “moonshot” tech stocks to buy according to short sellers. The stock’s latest publicly reported short interest stood at 33.83% of float as of April 30, 2026, according to MarketBeat.

Upstart gave both sides of the trade fresh material on May 5, when it reported first-quarter revenue of $308 million, up 44% year-over-year, while transaction volume rose 77% to 425,356 loans and total originations increased 61% to roughly $3.4 billion. The company also reaffirmed its full-year 2026 outlook for revenue of about $1.4 billion and adjusted EBITDA of about $294 million. That supports the moonshot case: Upstart is trying to make AI underwriting a scaled marketplace layer for consumer credit, not just a fintech lending widget with a fancy hat.

Short sellers still have obvious reasons to stay involved. Upstart’s first-quarter net loss widened to $6.6 million from $2.4 million a year earlier, while contribution margin fell to 50% from 55%, and adjusted EBITDA margin dropped to 13% from 20%. The company also remains exposed to credit-market conditions, funding availability, borrower performance, and lender demand. That leaves UPST as a classic moonshot fintech: huge AI-credit upside, but still chained to the interest-rate and credit-cycle dungeon.

Upstart Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST) operates an AI lending marketplace that connects consumers with banks and credit unions across personal loans, auto loans, home equity lines of credit, and related lending products.

6. Quantum Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:QUBT)

Quantum Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:QUBT) is one of the best “moonshot” tech stocks to buy according to short sellers. The stock’s latest publicly reported short interest stood at 32.73% of float as of April 30, 2026, according to MarketBeat.

QUBT fits the title almost too neatly: speculative quantum tech, heavy short interest, and a business still trying to prove that early commercial traction can become something larger. The company gave bulls a recent data point on May 11, when it reported first-quarter revenue of $3.7 million, up from just $39,000 in the prior-year period, though QCI said the increase was driven mainly by its February acquisition of Luminar Semiconductor. Quantum Computing also reported a net loss of $4.1 million, or $0.02 per share, compared with net income of $17.0 million a year earlier, though that prior-year result was helped by non-cash derivative gains.

The short-seller case is still obvious. QUBT remains an early-stage photonics and quantum optics company operating in a field where commercial timelines are uncertain, revenue is still small, and investor enthusiasm can run ahead of real adoption. That is exactly why it works as a moonshot stock, but not as a quiet compounder. The bull case is that its photonic chips, quantum machines, and foundry services become more relevant as customers test quantum and optimization workloads. The bear case is that the technology takes longer to scale than the stock market’s patience allows.

Quantum Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:QUBT) develops integrated photonics, quantum optics, quantum machines, reservoir computing systems, and related hardware and software for optimization, sensing, imaging, cybersecurity, and other advanced computing applications.

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