Elon Musk Wouldn't Rule Out a Tesla-SpaceX Merger on the July 22 Earnings Call. Here's What It Would Mean for the Shares You Own Today.

The most interesting exchange on Tesla 's (NASDAQ: TSLA) July 22 earnings call wasn't about margins. An analyst asked CEO Elon Musk whether he eventually sees synergies from combining Tesla with SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX), the rocket and satellite company that went public in June. Musk didn't say yes. More notably, he didn't say no.

There's "more and more overlap" between the two companies, Musk said on the call. He pointed in particular to Terafab, SpaceX's planned chipmaking venture, which he said is "really going to be a gigantic project."

As for a deal, Musk said he couldn't discuss "combining companies and that kind of thing" in that setting. It has to happen through "the appropriate process."Continue reading