Clue 1 · The Basics
U.S. consumer discretionary company · listed on the NYSE · headquartered in Arizona · sells a product most Americans buy at least once a decade.
Clue 2 · The Numbers
At its peak it was worth roughly $80 billion, then cratered over 95% before staging one of the most jaw-dropping comeback rallies in stock market history.
Clue 3 · The History
Founded in 2012 by the son of a used-car industry veteran, it set out to disrupt a notoriously hated retail experience by moving the whole thing online.
Clue 4 · The Secret
It makes money not just on the car but on financing, warranties, and trade-ins — the same bundled tricks as traditional dealers, just with a slicker website and no pushy salesperson.
Clue 5 · The Lore
The company built coin-operated car vending machines — literal multi-story glass towers — across the country, turning vehicle pickup into a theme-park moment.
Clue 6 · The Giveaway
You browse online, get approved in minutes, and your used car arrives at your door — or you drop a giant coin into a car vending machine tower and watch it descend like a prize.