SpaceX investors, ahead of results, press Musk on Tesla merger

SpaceX shareholders inquired on Tuesday about when the rocket company would merge with Tesla, after the two became the subjects of extensive speculation among investors. The question was the second most popular among those submitted to SpaceX management ahead of the company's third-quarter earnings webcast. A similar inquiry on Tesla's investor relations site garnered even more attention.

Barclays recently suggested a deal might be announced before Tesla's annual meeting, with SpaceX more likely to be the acquiring party, although neither company nor Musk has officially confirmed a preference for such a merger. Investor focus on Starship, SpaceX's lunar lander project, trailed that for Starlink, the company's profitable satellite internet service, which is funding heavy investments in AI, data centers, and Grok, SpaceX's AI chatbot.

While retail investors appeared more interested in Starship's progress, analysts and institutional shareholders pushed for details on AI revenue and spending. The top question, with 38 upvotes, centered on Starship's lunar lander hardware, revealing investors' focus on this ambitious project.