Elon Musk open to SpaceX-Tesla merger, calls prospect 'dancing on a minefield'

Elon Musk said Tuesday he is open to a merger between SpaceX and Tesla, comparing the prospect to "dancing on a minefield," as both companies explore the possibility. Musk noted that both the automaker and the aerospace group have formed special committees to evaluate a potential merger. The comments came as SpaceX reported its first quarterly profit of $4.4 billion, reversing a $541 million loss, boosted by new AI computing rentals to external clients like Anthropic. SpaceX, originally a rocket developer, has expanded into Starlink satellite internet and, after integrating xAI earlier this year, now ventures into artificial intelligence. The company's Starbase facility in Texas drove the third-quarter results.