'There's no point': Tesla Roadster's splashy reveal doesn't mean a merger with SpaceX Brian Sozzi · Executive Editor Fri, October 16, 2026 at 11:43 AM EDT 2 min read TSLA -0.89% SPCX -1.43% Explore stocks on Coinbase Trading disclosure Trading disclosure The above button links to Coinbase. Yahoo Finance is not a broker-dealer or investment adviser and does not offer securities or cryptocurrencies for sale or facilitate trading. Coinbase pays us for certain activity generated through this link. Prices displayed are informational.
The Tesla (TSLA) Roadster reveal reignited chatter that Elon Musk should finally merge Tesla and SpaceX (SPCX), a move he has long been rumored to want to make.
But maybe he doesn't need to do it right away, if at all.
"If I was on the board of Tesla or SpaceX, I would challenge Elon on the point of why not just mash them together?" tech analyst EMJ Capital founder Eric Jackson said on Sozzi Unleashed. "He certainly likes mashing his companies together, but when they're both getting a premium valuation, there's no point in mashing them together. There was a point when SolarCity was dying on the vine [so it made sense] to mash it into Tesla. There was a point when X was kind of like sitting out there [so it made sense] to mash it into SpaceX, but right now they're both getting the Elon premium."
Tesla unveiled its redesigned Roadster on Thursday night at SpaceX's (SPCX) rocket test site in McGregor, Texas. It came nearly nine years after Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk first showed his idea for the car in 2017.
Using cold-gas thrusters borrowed from SpaceX and a suction system, the car drove upside down on a curved ramp, vaulted off it, and flipped in midair before landing. The car also jumped over a series of Tesla vehicles — not unlike the classic move of K.I.T.T. from the "Knight Rider" TV series.
Musk said it can reach 60 mph in under a second and top 230 mph, though it is unclear whether any of the stunt features would be legal on public roads.
Tesla said production will start in 2028. There is a $50,000 deposit on the Performance version and $250,000 on the Thrust version.
Tesla stock rose as high as 2% while SpaceX advanced 1% in early trading on Friday before paring gains.
"We believe this is a small example of the synergies between Tesla and SpaceX and we believe there is an 80% chance that Tesla and SpaceX merge by the end of 2027 for a number of strategic AI/data driven reasons," Yorkville Ives partner Dan Ives said.
Go deeper with AlphaSpace 359.20 -3.24 (-0.89%) As of 11:45:36 AM EDT. Market Open. TSLA SPCX Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor, host of the Sozzi Unleashed morning show and the Power Players with Brian Sozzi podcast, and a member of Yahoo Finance's editorial leadership team. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Tips on stories? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com.
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