SpaceX and Tesla Consider Mega Merger? & People Are Making Their Smart TVs Dumb

October 21, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

SpaceX and Tesla Consider Mega Merger & People Are Making Their Smart TVs Dumb

On SpaceX's earnings call yesterday, Elon Musk confirmed what had been an open secret: the boards of SpaceX and Tesla have created special committees to evaluate a potential merger. Musk said he has recused himself from the process over conflicts of interest—he is CEO of both companies and most of his wealth is tied up in their stock—but told analysts "I think it would be a good idea given the similar work the two are doing on AI, space data centers, autonomous cars, and humanoid robots." With SpaceX valued at $2 trillion and Tesla at $1.5 trillion, it would be the biggest corporate merger of all time.

The Merger Logic and Musk's Control

The numbers help explain why Musk floated the idea now. SpaceX reported booming financials in just its second ever report as a public company: revenue surged 161% from a year ago, topping expectations, while profits came in at $4.4 billion, trouncing projections of $1.9 billion. Shares popped more than 10% after the news. But the merger is really about control. Musk controls 82% of the voting power at SpaceX, and he has long wanted more control over Tesla to push it toward autonomous vehicles and robots while potentially neglecting the auto business. The combined entity would give him that.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:34) **Show Open & Headlines** - Hosts Neil Freiman and Toby Howell introduce the day's top stories: a potential SpaceX-Tesla mega merger and the trend of people hacking their smart TVs to make them "dumber."
2 (00:56) **New National Park: Chiricahua** - President Trump signs a bill upgrading Chiricahua National Monument to the 64th U.S. national park, located in southeastern Arizona.
3 (03:31) **SpaceX & Tesla Consider Mega Merger** - Elon Musk confirms on SpaceX's earnings call that both boards have formed special committees to evaluate a potential merger, with Musk recusing himself due to conflicts of interest.
4 (07:47) **Netflix in a Precarious Position** - The streaming giant reports its slowest revenue growth in three years and declining engagement, leading to a 7% stock drop and its biggest layoffs since 2022.
5 (12:01) **The Struggle of Startup Acquisitions** - Buzzy startups bought by big conglomerates are failing to stay relevant, with recent examples including Unilever selling Welly and PepsiCo's Poppy missing growth targets.
6 (18:00) **The "Dumb TV" Movement** - A growing number of tech-savvy users are hacking their smart TVs to strip away bloatware, ads, and automatic content recognition (ACR) features that sell viewing data.
7 (22:10) **Sprint to the Finish: Headlines** - A rapid-fire segment covering rising airfares, a potential Jay-Z Super Bowl halftime show, and the hosts' weekly recommendations.

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Guests on this episode

Elon Musk

Show Notes

#959: SpaceX reports soaring results as its AI business continues to be a growth driver. Netflix reports its slowest revenue growth in years as it overhauls its content programming along with its leadership team. Airliners and travel experts warn this could be the priciest holiday travel season in years due to rising fuel costs. Unilever offloads its Welly Bandage business while PepsiCo is struggling with its Poppi acquisition. People are vibecoding away ads on their smart TVs. Finally, Jay Z is reportedly making himself the Super Bowl halftime performer.

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