Musk Cools Tesla-SpaceX Merger Talk as SpaceX Hits Low
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- Elon Musk cooled off speculation about a potential Tesla-SpaceX merger, according to Barron's headline framing, as SpaceX shares hit a record low.
- Tesla may be weighing leaving its largest, most productive car plant — situated in the world's largest market for new cars and EVs — in favor of an all-artificial-intelligence pivot, per the report's visible body text.
- Tesla stock has fallen 31% year-to-date coming into Friday, compounding pressure on the company's strategic direction as it weighs abandoning auto manufacturing.
- SpaceX shares sank to a record low, intensifying scrutiny of Musk's intertwined corporate empire and complicating any tie-up between the two companies.
Why it matters: Musk publicly walking back merger talk while SpaceX hits a record low leaves Tesla — already down 31% YTD — to execute an all-AI pivot without a SpaceX backstop, raising the stakes on whether the car business gets abandoned entirely.
