Elon Musk just upped his Tesla stake further fueling SpaceX merger conversation

teslarati.com Jun 18, 2026

Elon Musk just upped his Tesla stake further fueling SpaceX merger conversation

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Jun 18, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Elon Musk exercised 303,960,630 Tesla stock options, generating $115.9 billion in paper gains, and increased his direct Tesla voting power to approximately 20%. The transaction was made possible by an Implementation Agreement signed on April 21, 2026, and comes after SpaceX completed its IPO, giving it a public market valuation and share currency. Musk's move has fueled speculation about a potential Tesla and SpaceX merger, with the timing and structure of the stock option exercise carrying significant weight. The restricted shares Musk received cannot be sold until 2033, positioning his stake as long-term collateral in a potential deal. Musk's increased influence over Tesla and SpaceX's growing public market presence have raised expectations for a merger. The companies are already intertwined through shared facilities and investments.

💡 Why It Matters

· Musk's increased voting power gives him greater control over Tesla's future, including any potential merger with SpaceX.
· The timing of the stock option exercise, immediately after SpaceX's IPO, suggests a deliberate move to pave the way for a historic corporate merger.

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Enphase co-founder says solid-state transformer can ease data centre ‘power problems’

Enphase co-founder Raghu Belur discusses the company's solid-state transformer technology, which can ease power problems in data centres. The technology consolidates the power conversion process, eliminating multiple conversion steps and traditional uninterruptible power supply systems. Enphase has been developing this technology for AI data centres over the past nine months, leveraging its power electronics expertise. The company's SST approach converts medium voltage to 800 volts DC in a single stage, ideal for data centres with high power density requirements. This technology can help eliminate inefficiencies in traditional power delivery chains. Enphase's entry into the SST market builds on its two decades of power electronics development in residential solar, with the company positioning its IQ9 series microinverter as a solution for hyperscalers, and each 1.25MW SST unit comprising 342 microinverters.

💡 Enphase's solid-state transformer technology addresses the growing power delivery issue in data centres, where power density per rack has surged significantly. By eliminating the need for traditional uninterruptible power supply systems, data centres can free up valuable rack space for compute resources.

androidcentral.com · Jun 18

Carl Pei tells Apple he’s stealing its customers, as if iMessage isn’t…

Carl Pei, founder of Nothing, has declared his intention to steal Apple's customers in a social media stunt. Pei believes the smartphone market has become stagnant and that Apple has lost its creative spark. Nothing aims to offer an alternative with its unique transparent hardware designs and customized software. The company plans to expand its US retail presence through Best Buy, posing a tangible threat to Apple's dominance. Pei's goal is to attract bored iPhone users, but he faces a challenge in competing with Apple's ecosystem. Nothing's expansion plans are underway, with a focus on physical hardware availability.

💡 The success of Nothing's approach hinges on its ability to build a services ecosystem that can rival Apple's. Breaking Apple's hold on users will require more than just innovative hardware designs.

teslarati.com · Jun 18

Elon Musk predicts Grok will start to challenge Hollywood by the end…

Elon Musk has announced that xAI's model, Grok, will be capable of creating full movies by the end of 2026. A trailer for Homer's The Odyssey, created using Grok Imagine Video 1.5, showcases the AI's rapid strides in video generation. The 2-minute-plus trailer features 36 consistent shots, realistic special effects, and emotional depth, demonstrating Grok's capabilities in scale, physics, and cinematic workflow. Musk believes Grok will be "watchable" by the end of 2026 and "really good" by 2027.

💡 Hollywood's dominance may be challenged by AI-generated content, as Grok's capabilities raise questions about the future of cinematic authorship.

businesstoday.in · Jun 18

‘Hang in there, Elon’: Why Anand Mahindra’s 2018 message is going viral…

Industrialist Anand Mahindra has recalled a 2018 message he shared with Elon Musk, in which he encouraged the Tesla and SpaceX founder to "hang in there" amidst production challenges and doubts over his ambitious plans. Mahindra's message gained new relevance after Musk became the world's first trillionaire following SpaceX's record-breaking market debut. Mahindra reflected on Musk's resilience and ability to turn "tomorrow's impossibility into today's reality." Musk's net worth jumped to over $1 trillion after SpaceX's valuation increased to nearly $1.77 trillion.

💡 Mahindra's message highlights the long-term vision and resilience required to achieve groundbreaking success. By supporting Musk during a challenging phase, Mahindra underscores the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity, particularly for innovators and entrepreneurs pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

cnbc.com · Jun 18

Amazon AI exec predicts first ‘commercially useful’ quantum computers in 5-7 years

Amazon AI executive Peter DeSantis predicts the first commercially useful small-scale quantum computers will be available in five-to-seven years. DeSantis leads a new Amazon organization focused on AI models, chips, and quantum computing. Quantum computing proponents claim the technology will solve problems current computers cannot. DeSantis' prediction suggests significant advancements in the field. The technology is expected to grow similarly to semiconductor capabilities. Amazon's investment in quantum computing indicates a strong commitment to the technology's potential. DeSantis' statement highlights the progress being made in quantum computing research and development, with potential applications emerging soon.

💡 Quantum computers will unlock solutions to complex problems, revolutionizing industries that rely on complex calculations. Breakthroughs in fields like medicine and finance will be driven by quantum computing's ability to process vast amounts of data quickly.

businesstoday.in · Jun 17

Could AI make money irrelevant? Elon Musk says the answer may lie…

Elon Musk has suggested that conventional money may lose relevance in a future where artificial intelligence (AI) gains access to enormous amounts of energy and surpasses human intelligence. According to Musk, harnessing just 1 millionth of the Sun's power for AI systems would result in computational capabilities far beyond human capabilities. This feat would require the construction of an extensive industrial infrastructure beyond Earth, including manufacturing solar panels and radiators on the Moon and launching them into deep space using a "mass driver." Musk believes that access to raw materials and abundant energy could become more important than traditional measures of wealth in a future dominated by advanced AI and automation.

💡 Musk's prediction of a money-less future highlights the potential for a fundamental transformation in the global economy, where energy and computation become the primary drivers of economic productivity. The notion that traditional currencies could become obsolete underscores the need for governments and industries to rethink their approach to wealth and value in a world where AI capabilities are increasingly linked to energy resources.