“In my opinion, 100%. It’s just a question of when,” says David Nicholson, chief technology advisor at market research firm The Futurum Group.
During Tesla’s earnings call on Wednesday, Musk said he had nothing further to add about the potential merger, though he offered a wry comment: “I feel like I’m tap-dancing through a minefield.”
Musk said that describing the merger as certain would be “overstating” the situation.
Tesla reported a slight drop in third-quarter sales, totaling $28.05 billion compared with $28.1 billion at the same time last year.
The unveiling of the Tesla Roadster last week—a futuristic electric car powered by SpaceX rocket thrusters—served as a “symbolic embodiment” that hinted at a possible merger between the two Musk companies, Nicholson said.
Musk, chief executive of both SpaceX and Tesla, said that combining the firms could be advantageous given the work each does around chips, artificial intelligence (AI), and other technology projects.
Specifically, he said, the deal would bring together Tesla’s cars, robots, and self-driving technology with SpaceX’s rockets, data centers, satellites, and telecommunications operations.
The move could be a step toward Musk’s mission to build a self-sustaining city on Mars—a goal that has drawn both skepticism and support.
Over the past year, Musk has moved to consolidate his businesses, with SpaceX acquiring xAI and X, formerly Twitter, before the latter went public this year.
