--- title: "Elon Musk: Tesla Open to Merging With Another Carmaker" description: "Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that would be open to \"have this conversation\" about a merger with another carmaker if it \"would be a good idea.\"" date: "2020-12-01" modified: "2020-12-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-tesla-could-merge" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Tesla" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "electric cars" - "elon musk" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk: Tesla Open to Merging With Another Carmaker ![Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that would be open to "have this conversation" about a merger with another carmaker if it "would be a good idea."]() *\Image: Victor Tangermann\* ## Never Say Never During an interview following an award event in Germany, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that he wasn't opposed to merging with another carmaker. "We are definitely not going to launch a hostile takeover," Musk said during the interview, [as quoted by *Electrek*](), "but if somebody said it would be a good idea to merge with Tesla, we would have this conversation." ## Soaring Valuations Tesla's valuation has been soaring this year. The carmaker's market cap is now over half a trillion dollars. While other carmakers including Toyota and Daimler have invested in Tesla in the past, they have long sold their stakes, according to *Electrek*. Musk isn't likely to pursue a merger any time soon, but it does mark a shift in tone for the CEO, as [*CNET* points out](). [Musk dismissed]() the idea of Apple buying the carmaker back in 2017. ## Flying Close to the Sun Musk also told employees in an email earlier today that he wants Tesla to focus on real profits, warning them that stocks could soon fall drastically, [*Electrek* reported in a separate story](). "Investors are giving us a lot of credit for future profits," the email reads, "but if, at any point, they conclude that’s not going to happen, our stock will immediately get crushed like a soufflé under a sledgehammer!" "It’s not like Tesla’s profitability is crazy high," [Musk said]() during a shareholder meeting in September. "It’s not like we’re minting money. Our valuation makes it seem like we are, but we’re not." **READ MORE:** [Elon Musk: Tesla (TSLA) is open to merging with other automakers after valuation surge to record high]() \[*Electrek*\] **More on Tesla:** *[Electric Car Maker Claims Elon Musk Crashed Its EV Into a Brick Wall]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()