SpaceX COO Shotwell says Tesla tie-up ‘might make Elon’s life a little easier’

As SpaceX prepares to make its debut on the Nasdaq with an unprecedented IPO, Gwynne Shotwell, the COO of SpaceX, has opened the door to the possibility of a future collaboration with Tesla, another of Elon Musk's ventures. In a conversation with CNBC's Morgan Brennan, Shotwell remarked that such a partnership could potentially simplify Musk's responsibilities. Musk, who has recently been recognized as the world's first trillionaire, holds significant influence in both companies, retaining over 80% of the voting power at SpaceX and serving on Tesla's board. Shotwell, who has been with SpaceX since its inception in 2002, emphasized her current focus on operational tasks amid the company's impressive market valuation, which exceeded $2 trillion, positioning it as the sixth most valuable company in the U.S., surpassing Tesla. While there is an ongoing synergy between SpaceX and Tesla, including shared engineering resources, Shotwell maintained that her primary concern remains the development of rockets, enhancement of broadband services, and advancing missions to the International Space Station. She acknowledged, however, that mergers and acquisitions are becoming increasingly important, particularly within the realm of artificial intelligence. Notably, Musk previously merged SpaceX with his AI venture, xAI, in a deal valued at $1.25 trillion, aimed at establishing advanced orbital data centers. This merger also included social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. SpaceX has options to acquire AI-coding startup Cursor, further illustrating Musk's intent to integrate technology across his business portfolio. Shotwell's insights suggest that the convergence of these companies may lead to exciting developments in the future, though her immediate priorities remain firmly grounded in current projects.