Cathie Wood never ceases to amaze. The investing maverick behind ARK Invest persists with big, disruptive ideas while living with the volatility that comes with the territory.

As founder, CEO, and CIO, she sets the research agenda and pulls the trading lever, a rare combo that keeps ARK’s active ETFs moving fast. So far this year, that incredible pace has paid off handsomely.

The ARK Innovation ETF  (ARKK) stock is up almost 50% year-to-date, while ARKG has surged roughly 16.8%, a sharp rebound from the post-2021 drawdown.

Those numbers spotlight Wood’s innovation-first playbook and her market calls, along with a recent pushback: “We would not be surprised to see months of deflation soon,” on the back of productivity gains from AI and other breakthroughs.

ARK is even rolling out “buffer-ARKKs,” essentially defined-outcome ETFs that look to cap drawdowns while keeping some upside.

Now, in classic ARK fashion, Wood has added intrigue, quietly offloading two red-hot names, both massive YTD winners with double-digit gains.

That has investors wondering if it’s just a surprise trim, a case of profit-taking, risk management, or the first step toward a broader rotation.

Cathie Wood sparks buzz by slashing high-flyer bets.

Wood’s strategy centers on high-conviction, innovation-first

Image source: SOPA Images/Getty Images Cathie Wood continues to command a concentrated yet actively traded book that’s geared at five “disruptive innovation” platforms covering AI, robotics, energy storage, DNA sequencing, and blockchain.

What sets her apart is her willingness to take risks, leaning hard into volatility to build or trim positions.

  • Goldman Sachs resets bold S&P 500 target
  • Qualcomm just made a massive leap into Tesla’s turf
  • Cathie Wood goes biotech shopping, shells out $7.7 million
  • Veteran economist drops surprise verdict on the S&P 500
  • Moody’s stuns with urgent call on Oracle’s future

What the numbers say about Cathie Wood’s style:

  • Concentration: As of mid-September 2025, Tesla stock formed roughly 12% of ARKK, showing its willingness to make outsized bets when conviction is high.
  • Buy the disruption (even in stress): Following the SEC’s suit against Coinbase in 2023, ARK scooped up 419,324 shares (>$20 million), throwing greater weight behind a long-term crypto-infrastructure thesis.
  • Keep adding on thesis: In Aug. 2025, ARK added $29.8 million of Coinbase stock across three funds, extending the fund’s multi-year bet on blockchain monetization.
  • Willing to rotate: ARK sold the bulk of its Nvidia stake in late 2022/early 2024, later scooping again in Apr. 2025. The move is a clear reminder that Cathie’s willing to rotate toward what she sees as next-wave winners.

More News: Hence, Wood looks to build thematic, high-beta exposure to platforms she believes have the best chance to compound for a decade, keeping portfolios effectively aligned to her innovation roadmap.

Cathie Wood cuts Roku and Tempus AI

Cathie Wood is back at it, and this time she’s trimming some of her most-watched names. 

ARK Invest’s flagship ARKK ETF has been offloading shares of Roku  (ROKU) and Tempus AI  (TEM) , even with both of these stocks posting double-digit gains year-to-date. Both companies are among the core, closely tracked AI and streaming bets in the ARK portfolio.

Related: Warren Buffett’s Berkshire exits 17-year stake The selling streak extended into Friday, Sept. 19, when ARKK offloaded 22,732 shares of Roku worth nearly $2.25 million. 

That move came just a day after the fund dropped 47,474 Roku shares. Moreover, Roku still holds the No. 3 spot across ARK’s combined portfolios, which makes up 5.03% of assets, but the cuts are tough to miss.

Tempus AI is seeing a similar pattern unfold. On Friday, ARKK sold 60,550 shares valued at $5.3 million and another 43,157 offloaded on Sept. 18. Despite the trims, Tempus is still ARK’s seventh-largest holding with a considerable 4.3% weighting. That’s big because the stock is one of 2025’s biggest winners, surging more than 160% year-to-date.

The moves point to Wood’s quiet rebalancing, as she locks in gains on names that have soared while redirecting cash elsewhere. 

Additionally, there’s a greater emphasis on biotech plays like CRISPR Therapeutics, Beam Therapeutics, and Arcturus Therapeutics, an area she’s betting could be huge in the innovation wave ahead.

Related: Bank of America shocks with AMD stock verdict post Nvidia-Intel deal