Musk Again Floats Tesla-SpaceX Merger, Says It Would Let Him Be Late on Two Product Lines in a Single Meeting
A combined company would offer "unprecedented synergies in timelines," according to a post that was itself two hours late.
AUSTIN, Texas — Elon Musk on Tuesday revived speculation that Tesla and the newly public SpaceX could combine, telling followers that a merger would create "the most important company in history" and would allow him to consolidate multiple overlapping delays into "one streamlined delay."
"Right now, if Starship slips and the Roadster slips, that's two separate updates, two separate all-hands, two separate rounds of people saying 'as expected,'" Musk wrote. "Post-merger, that's one update. Massive efficiency gain."
Analysts said a combined entity would have a market value approaching $3 trillion and a product portfolio that includes electric vehicles, humanoid robots, orbital rockets, satellite internet, tunnels, and a flamethrower, all of which have been described at some point as "about a year away."
SpaceX shareholders, many of whom bought into the company's IPO earlier this year on the strength of its launch cadence, reacted cautiously. "SpaceX launches things on time," said one fund manager. "That is the whole thesis. I'm not sure I want that thesis to be blended with a company that has been about to release a truck since 2019."
Tesla shareholders were more receptive, with several noting that the company's valuation has long reflected businesses it does not yet have, and that "adding a business it does have would be a nice change."
Musk said any merger would be subject to board approval, regulatory review, and "vibes," and would likely be finalized "in the next few months, or whenever." He added that the combined company would be headquartered on Mars, "eventually, obviously," and in Texas "until then, obviously."
At press time, a poll on the matter had been posted, and Musk had announced that the results would be binding "if they come out the right way."