Connect with us
tesla logo tesla logo

Investor's Corner

Tesla Bitcoin purchase could launch SEC investigation, former Branch Chief says

Published

on

Tesla’s $1.5 billion purchase of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin could be subjected to an investigation, according to Doug Davidson, a former Branch Chief of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Divison of Enforcement. The SEC could look into the exact date of Tesla’s BTC purchase, as well as if CEO Elon Musk’s tweets gave its investment an appreciation in value.

Earlier this week, Tesla shocked many by announcing a $1.5 billion Bitcoin investment in a 10-K filing with the SEC. Along with the announcement, Tesla said it plans to begin accepting Bitcoin for purchases of its electric cars and other products.

The 10-K filing shows that Tesla made the investment sometime in January 2021 and stated that it “may acquire and hold digital assets from time to time or long-term.” According to Davidson, the SEC could be looking into Tesla’s purchase of Bitcoin, along with Musk’s support of the cryptocurrency, as the CEO’s actions have influenced several price spikes in the past. The question could come down to when, exactly, Tesla purchased Bitcoin.

“It would not be surprising—given the focus on the chief executive’s tweets, bitcoin pricing, and recent dramatic market moves—for the SEC to ask questions about the facts and circumstances here,” Davidson said to the Telegraph newspaper.

Advertisement

Another figure, Vitor Constâncio, former Vice President of the European Central Bank, said that the timing is really what makes the SEC’s probe understandable to him. Because Tesla didn’t disclose the purchase when it happened, he says that Musk’s tweets supporting Bitcoin appreciated their investment.

“It was not disclosed when Tesla had made this investment,” Constâncio said to Forbes. “This was followed by many statements that he supported bitcoin. Bitcoin kept going up, and the Tesla investment has appreciated.”

Musk does influence the markets. On numerous occasions, it has been proven the most relevant being Signal Advance Inc. stock, which shot up over 11,700% after investors misunderstood a Musk tweet. The other being Dogecoin, another cryptocurrency that has spiked at times Musk has mentioned it on Twitter.

It seems unlikely that Musk can be blamed for his influence. He is a unique CEO who gives constant product updates and talks with Tesla owners on a nearly daily basis and has indicated in the past that investments should line up with personal beliefs. Musk’s interest in Bitcoin may have led to Tesla’s purchase of the crypto, but it also holds several advantages as it expands aggressively into foreign markets.

Advertisement

Tesla’s Bitcoin buy filled with advantages: ARK Invest’s Keeney

The SEC and Musk have a past as well, which seems to influence a microscope-like focus from the government agency on the Tesla CEO. In 2018, the SEC settled fraud charges with Musk, who paid $40 million in penalties and required his voluntary removal as Tesla’s Chairman. The lawsuit began after Musk tweeted that he could be taking Tesla private at $420, “funding secured.”

Musk stated later on that he “does not respect the SEC.”

No official investigation has been launched by the SEC, nor is it confirmed whether the government agency is looking into Musk or Tesla’s Bitcoin purchase.

Advertisement

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

Advertisement
Comments

Elon Musk

Elon Musk strikes down reports on SpaceX IPO rumors

Published

on

Credit: Grok

Elon Musk has firmly denied recent media reports suggesting that SpaceX has reduced its target valuation for an upcoming initial public offering.

The denial came directly from the SpaceX and Tesla frontman on his social media platform X, where he responded with a single word, “False,” to a post from ZeroHedge that cited Bloomberg sources.

This swift rebuttal underscores Musk’s ongoing effort to manage speculation surrounding one of the most anticipated market debuts in recent history.

According to the disputed reports, SpaceX had lowered its IPO valuation goal to at least $1.8 trillion from previous ambitions exceeding $2 trillion.

The claims emerged amid growing anticipation for the company’s confidential S-1 filing, which positions it for a potential public listing as early as June.

Some had pointed to strong revenue growth, particularly from the Starlink satellite internet service, which contributed heavily to the firm’s 2025 figures of $18.7 billion. Yet challenges persist in other areas, including substantial investments and losses tied to ambitious projects like Starship development and artificial intelligence initiatives, which plan to make life multiplanetary eventually.

Advertisement

Musk’s response highlights a pattern in which he actively counters what he views as inaccurate portrayals of his companies’ trajectories.

SpaceX, already valued privately at extraordinary levels, stands as a cornerstone of Musk’s empire alongside Tesla and xAI. The entrepreneur has long emphasized the transformative potential of reusable rockets and global broadband access, factors that fuel investor enthusiasm despite operational hurdles.

By rejecting the valuation downgrade narrative, Musk signals confidence in SpaceX’s fundamentals and its readiness for public markets on terms favorable to its long-term vision. People have been waiting a very long time to invest in SpaceX, and the valuation, as well as the introductory share price, is not going to need adjusting.

They’ll have plenty of suitors.

Advertisement

SpaceX just filed for the IPO everyone was waiting for

This episode reflects broader dynamics in the technology sector, where rumors often swirl around high-profile entities. Musk’s direct engagement with media narratives serves to maintain transparency and control the narrative around his ventures.

As SpaceX prepares for greater scrutiny in public markets, the founder’s denial reinforces optimism about its prospects. Supporters argue that the company’s innovative edge positions it for enduring success, far beyond short-term valuation debates. With the denial now public, attention turns to forthcoming regulatory filings that could provide clearer insights into SpaceX’s strategy and financial health.

The coming weeks promise to reveal more about how SpaceX will transition into a publicly traded powerhouse.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Elon Musk

The Tesla and SpaceX merger everyone is talking about is quietly building

Tesla and SpaceX may be closer to merging than Wall Street or either company is admitting.

Published

on

By

Elon Musk has reportedly discussed merging Tesla and SpaceX with people close to him, according to CNBC, which cited sources familiar with the conversation. Tesla employees have long expected such a transaction and the topic is openly discussed internally, according to internal sources. With SpaceX is days away from kicking off its Wall Street roadshow for what could be the largest IPO in market history, this would be the first time the company will have public market currency to execute a stock-for-stock deal with Tesla.

The financial logic for a merger would make sense. A combined SpaceX and Tesla would create a conglomerate spanning rockets, satellites, electric vehicles, AI infrastructure, and energy storage valued at roughly $3.35 trillion to $3.6 trillion based on SpaceX’s IPO target range and Tesla’s current market capitalization. The two companies are already more intertwined than most people realize. SpaceX bought $697 million worth of Tesla Megapack systems for xAI data centers and $131 million worth of Cybertrucks. Tesla invested $2 billion in xAI, which subsequently merged with SpaceX. Past transactions also include Tesla selling solar equipment and parts to SpaceX, and SpaceX helping with Cybertruck materials.

Will Tesla join the fold? Predicting a triple merger with SpaceX and xAI

Musk himself signaled where this was heading in November 2025 when he posted on X, “My companies are, surprisingly in some ways, trending towards convergence.” Tesla and SpaceX announced a joint semiconductor fabrication facility in Austin called Terafab on the Gigafactory Texas campus, covering two advanced chip factories, with one serving Tesla’s AI needs for vehicles and Optimus robots, the other targeting space-based data centers under SpaceX’s infrastructure vision.

Advertisement

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives places the probability of a merger at 80% to 90% with a target completion in the first half of 2027. The mechanics of a deal became possible the moment SpaceX filed its S-1. Legal experts said a merger likely would not spark antitrust issues but would raise concerns among shareholders in each company, with questions around which company would be the parent, how a stock swap would take place, and who determines the appropriate price. Musk holds about 20% of Tesla’s equity but controls 85.1% of SpaceX’s voting power through a super-voting share class, meaning he would largely be negotiating the terms with himself.

Elon Musk explains why he cannot be fired from SpaceX

Not everyone is convinced the timing is imminent. Traders on Kalshi place only 33% odds that a merger will happen before May 2027. The more immediate concern for Tesla shareholders is whether the SpaceX IPO pulls capital and Musk’s attention away from Tesla before any merger consolidates the upside for both.

What is clear is that the structural groundwork is already being laid. The Terafab announcement, the xAI merger, the shared supply chain, the cross-company balance sheet transactions, and now the IPO all point in the same direction. Whether the merger follows in 2027 or later, the two companies are already operating more like divisions of a single entity than independent competitors.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Elon Musk

SpaceX just filed for the IPO everyone was waiting for

SpaceX filed its public S-1, revealing $18.7 billion in revenue and billions in losses.

Published

on

By

SpaceX-Ax-4-mission-iss-launch-date

SpaceX publicly filed its S-1 registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 20, 2026, making its financial details available to the public for the first time ahead of what could be the largest IPO in history.

An S-1 is the formal document a company must submit to the SEC before going public. It includes audited financials, risk factors, business descriptions, and how the company plans to use the money it raises. Companies are required to file one before selling shares to the public, and it must be published at least 15 days before the investor roadshow begins. SpaceX had already submitted a confidential draft to the SEC in April, which allowed regulators to review the filing privately before it went public.

The S-1 reveals that SpaceX generated $18.7 billion in consolidated revenue in 2025, driven largely by its Starlink satellite internet division, which posted $11.4 billion in revenue, growing nearly 50% year over year. Despite that growth, the company lost about $4.9 billion in 2025 and has burned through more than $37 billion since its founding.

SpaceX just forced Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile to team up for the first time in history

Advertisement

A significant portion of those losses trace back to xAI, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, which was recently merged into SpaceX. SpaceX directed roughly 60% of its capital spending in 2025 to its AI division, totaling around $20 billion, yet that division lost billions and grew revenue by only about 22%.

SpaceX plans to list its Class A common stock on Nasdaq under the ticker SPCX, with Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Bank of America leading the offering. The dual-class share structure means going public will not meaningfully reduce Musk’s control, as Class B shares he holds carry 10 votes per share compared to one vote for public Class A shares.

The company is targeting a raise of around $75 billion at a valuation of roughly $1.75 trillion, which would make it the largest IPO ever. The investor roadshow is reportedly planned for June 5.

Advertisement
Continue Reading