
Archer Aviation, they called it. A name that suggested a swiftness, a grace, that seemed to mock the laborious process of bringing a novel aircraft into being. They spoke of Midnight, a vessel intended to liberate the city dweller from the tyranny of traffic, to carry them aloft on currents of electricity. A beautiful vision, certainly, but one that had already begun to fray at the edges, like a handwoven tapestry exposed to the relentless sun. Seven years they had labored, building not just a machine, but a legend, a story told in balance sheets and regulatory filings. And yet, the stock, that fickle barometer of hope, had offered a meager return to those who had dared to believe, a 35% decline from the initial offering price of $10. The S&P 500, that stoic giant, had doubled its value in the same span, a silent rebuke to the more audacious venture.