Founded in 2009 by JoeBen Bevirt, Joby Aviation (JOBY +0.69%) develops electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, often called flying taxis. Its aircraft are designed to travel over 100 miles per charge, carry a pilot and four passengers, and reach speeds of up to 200 mph, all while being quiet enough for urban use.
Joby aims to make short trips up to five times faster than driving by using existing airports and heliports. The company is working toward FAA certification and has completed four of the five required stages, making it the furthest along among eVTOL manufacturers. It also received FAA Part 141 certification in 2024, allowing it to begin training pilots ahead of commercial service.
In addition to U.S. approval, Joby is working with regulators in several international markets. It has partnerships with companies and agencies including Delta Air Lines, Toyota, Uber, the U.S. Department of Defense, and Saudi Aramco’s aviation unit. Joby began initial operations with the Department of Defense in 2023 and is targeting commercial passenger service in 2026.
Joby went public via a SPAC merger in 2021. After a volatile post-IPO period, investors may be curious about how to buy the stock, its financial outlook, and what comes next.
How to buy Joby Aviation stock
Because Joby Aviation is publicly traded, you can buy shares like you would any other U.S.-listed stock. Here's what you need to know to buy Joby Aviation stock.
- Open your brokerage account: Log in to your brokerage account where you handle your investments.
- Search for Joby Aviation: Enter the ticker "JOBY" into the search bar to bring up the stock's trading page.
- Decide how many shares to buy: Consider your investment goals and how much of your portfolio you want to allocate to this stock.
- Select order type: Choose between a market order to buy at the current price or a limit order to specify the maximum price you're willing to pay.
- Submit your order: Confirm the details and submit your buy order.
- Review your purchase: Check your portfolio to ensure your order was filled as expected and adjust your investment strategy accordingly.
Should you invest in Joby Aviation?
Joby Aviation is a high-risk, early-stage investment. The company is still pre-revenue and must secure final FAA approval before launching commercial service, which may make it a poor fit for risk-averse investors. For those comfortable with speculation, and interested in the long-term potential of air taxis, Joby could be worth a small, speculative position.
Joby has built strong momentum and credibility through partnerships and government work. It collaborated with NASA as early as 2012, became the first eVTOL company to receive U.S. Air Force airworthiness approval in 2020, and now operates aircraft for the Department of Defense under a $131 million contract.
The company also counts major backers and partners including Uber, Delta Air Lines, Toyota, and SK Telecom. Toyota alone has invested roughly $400 million. Despite this progress, Joby generates minimal revenue, reporting just $15,000 from flight services by mid-2025, while posting significant operating losses.
Rather than selling aircraft, Joby plans to own and operate its fleet, building a vertically integrated air-taxi network supported by its own app and partnerships. If successful, that model could unlock meaningful long-term upside. But until commercial flights begin, currently targeted for 2026, the investment case remains highly speculative.
NYSE: JOBY
Key Data Points
Is Joby Aviation profitable?
Joby Aviation is still in the early stages of developing and testing aircraft for commercialization. The company is generating hardly any revenue at this point, so any potential profits will be on a very distant horizon, more likely than not in the 2030s. However, the company had about $1.2 billion in total assets on its balance sheet at the end of the second quarter of 2025.
Does Joby Aviation pay a dividend?
Joby Aviation does not pay a dividend, and management has not signaled any plans to pay one. Since it's a company that is just getting out of its pre-revenue stage and is not yet profitable, investors should not expect dividends anytime soon.
How to invest in Joby Aviation through ETFs
If you’d like to invest in Joby Aviation stock without purchasing individual shares, you can do so by investing in an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that holds shares of the company. A few examples include:
Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF)
Will Joby Aviation stock split?
Joby Aviation went public via a reverse merger with a SPAC in 2021. Shares have historically traded at or below $10. There are no plans to split the stock anytime soon.
The bottom line
While it started limited operations for the U.S. Department of Defense in late 2023, Joby Aviation is not yet transporting commercial passengers and is working to achieve full FAA certification for its aerial taxis. The company is reporting hardly any revenue and is hemorrhaging losses, although both of these realities are to be expected for a company at this stage of its growth story.
With those risks being considered, Joby Aviation could disrupt the emerging aerial taxi industry. Its partnerships with some of the biggest names in the commercial transportation world and its collaborations with governments around the world could enable it to fulfill its goals of becoming a global powerhouse in the aerial taxi space.
Joby's stock could see significant gains if it can secure authorization from the FAA and other regulatory agencies, achieve successful commercial deployment, and generate revenue from its planned vertically integrated business model. This is a highly speculative play, but long-term investors with a sizable buy-and-hold horizon and some extra cash to spare for a well-diversified portfolio might want to take a second look.
Related investing topics
FAQ
About the Author
