Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) shares are moving upward on Monday as traders react to the historic public market debut of Space Exploration Technologies Corp (NASDAQ:SPCX) on Friday, which saw its shares surge about 19% on day one.
SpaceX closed at $166.85, pushing its valuation past the $2 trillion mark.
Historically, Tesla shares move in tandem with major SpaceX milestones. Friday’s breakout debut officially made CEO Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire, with Forbes valuing his net worth at $1.1 trillion.
Merger Speculation Ignites Interest
The primary catalyst for Monday’s surge centers on intense speculation regarding a future combination of Musk’s core enterprises. On Friday, prominent Tesla investor Ross Gerber, President and CEO at Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management, wrote on X, “The answer seems to be yes. We will merge. SpaceX and Tesla.”
Gerber retweeted an interview in which SpaceX Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell told CNBC that a potential merger is not currently a priority. She stressed that her focus remains on launching rockets and expanding broadband access.
However, she acknowledged that a combination could make Musk’s “life easier.”
She also indicated that Tesla and SpaceX could become more closely aligned over time, suggesting there is a natural convergence between the automaker and the space company.
Adding fuel to the fire, Wedbush Securities Managing Director Dan Ives stated there is an 80% chance SpaceX merges with Tesla within a year. Looking toward 2027, Ives asserts that the groundwork is already in place.
Nicholas Colas, co-founder of DataTrek Research, also advocated for the move, stating, “The best approach is to have one company.”
Optimus Humanoid Robot Hopes Recirculate
Beyond the SpaceX ecosystem, renewed investor enthusiasm for Tesla's internal technology pipelines is supporting Monday’s rally. Expectations regarding the Tesla Optimus humanoid robot are recirculating heavily among trading circles.
According to a Counterpoint Research report published by Associate Director Ethan Qi, Tesla is well-positioned to scale production of its upcoming Optimus V3 robot. The report notes that Tesla leverages its electric vehicle expertise, including its latest AI5 platform which delivers more than 2,000 TOPS of computing power, alongside Full Self-Driving (FSD) tech and Grok AI. Counterpoint projects that the Optimus program could reach a 100,000-unit milestone much faster than Tesla's early EV programs, emerging as a massive long-term revenue driver.
TSLA Stock Price Activity: Tesla shares were up 1.13% at $411.02 at the time of publication on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Photo Courtesy: Rokas Tenys on Shutterstock.com
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