Elon Musk's push for control over Tesla's humanoid-robot plans has fed speculation about a Tesla-SpaceX merger. Both companies have formed committees to explore a tie-up, but no terms are agreed, and a prediction market prices a merger announcement by December 31 at 9.5%.
Elon Musk's remarks about building a robot army at Tesla have sparked discussions around a potential Tesla-SpaceX merger. Crypto Briefing, citing Motley Fool, says the remarks point to Tesla's Optimus humanoid-robot program rather than an immediate merger product.
Motley Fool analyst Ryan Vanzo writes that Musk raised the issue of voting control last year. His biggest concern was control over new products, humanoid robots in particular, that Tesla is expected to produce en masse over the coming years.
Voting power could tilt toward Musk
Musk currently controls roughly 20% of Tesla's voting power, according to Motley Fool. His SpaceX pay package grants additional voting power before the shares are issued, and with it he now has approximately 85% voting power at SpaceX.
As a result, a tie-up could give him majority control of the combined entity. Tesla shares closed at $358.22, up 4.23%, as of 4:00 PM ET on November 6.
Experts question the robot milestone
Musk's Tesla pay package originally included milestones that trigger additional stock grants, including the deployment of one million humanoid robots. Some experts, however, claim the robot army distracts from Musk's true goal.
Charles Elson, founding director of the Weinberg Center, told Reuters this week that the package is a distraction from the real story, which he described as complete control.
No merger terms, and low market odds
Tesla and SpaceX formed committees to explore a merger, but no concrete terms have been agreed. Market pricing shows only 9.5% YES on a merger announcement by December 31.
Motley Fool cautions that a merger may have more to do with Musk's economic incentives than with shareholders' best interests.
Sources: Crypto Briefing, Fool
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