A German Minister has shared some insights about his political disagreements with Elon Musk and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, going on to add that he “still values” the Tesla CEO and the company’s Gigafactory in Brandenburg.
In an interview shared by German outlet Tagesspiegel on Monday, Brandenburg Economic Minister Jörg Steinbach said that he wouldn’t be willing to congratulate Musk on a Trump victory, calling the win “highly problematic” and saying that he has directly argued with the Tesla CEO in recent months. Steinbach also tells the outlet that he still values Musk as an investor, entrepreneur, and innovator, adding that Musk was even receptive to some of his criticisms.
The Minister also says he has been in regular contact with Musk over long text messages in the months leading up to the election, ultimately noting that he would not congratulate the Tesla CEO on a Trump victory:
I will not congratulate him on this election result either. Donald Trump’s victory is highly problematic for us. I have had contact with Elon Musk more often in the past months, I have argued intensively with him.
I have responded to his comments on the AfD, but also to others. I have made it clear that I think all this is fundamentally written—that for us Donald Trump is not an advocate for democracy, but an autocratic president.
He was able to deal with my criticism. Elon Musk has a completely different view of this. We agreed that we did not come together. In English, they say, agree to disagree.
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Still, Steinbach also went on to echo some concerns about bureaucracy, saying that, while it may irritate some, he believes that even Germany could use a little less bureaucracy. Despite this, he thinks Musk will soon see some of Trump’s issues with climate protections, and will go on to retreat from his support for the President-elect in just a few months:
But my prognosis is that after a few months, Musk will retreat frustratedly. He will notice that certain positions of Donald Trump are totally contrary to his convictions, for example in climate protection. And he will find that administrative, political rules, for example, are not easy to put on strength for spending money.
The Minister notes that, while Musk’s support for Trump could affect who buys a Tesla in Germany, the company’s Gigafactory is just one of many throughout the world, and he doesn’t expect it to have a negative impact on sustainable transportation in the country. He also says that Tesla could continue to play an important role in the ongoing crisis across the automotive industry, adding that the company is still looking to expand its facility in Grünheide in the coming months.
Germany’s recent automotive struggles and what role Tesla could play
Volkswagen and other automakers, both in Germany and elsewhere, have struggled amidst the electric vehicle (EV) transition, with some even set to close down factories. One example includes VW’s Potsdam Design Center, along with another factory from the company in Belgium that may move future EV production to its factories in Germany or Slovakia.
Steinach says he is in favor of electrification, adding that he thinks the German automotive industry has been effectively asleep for the past decade. Meanwhile, battery projects in Germany have been put on hold for at least a year, though he says there is light at the end of the tunnel. While he has previously said that every fifth company or so may unfortunately disappear, he also notes that companies should follow Volvo’s example in choosing to stop building internal combustion engines (ICEs) and to pour that effort into EVs.
Even as some companies may disappear, the outlook isn’t all bleak. The Minister also says that Tesla’s economic influence in the country is still underrated, and workers that become unemployed in the EV transition may find a home at the U.S. automaker’s Grünheide plant, which employs around 12,000 workers.
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
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There are a lot of Tesla bulls out there who have astronomical expectations for the company, especially as its arm of reach has gone well past automotive and energy and entered artificial intelligence and robotics.
However, some of the most bullish Tesla investors believe the company could become worth $100 trillion, and CEO Elon Musk does not believe that number is completely out of the question, even if it sounds almost ridiculous.
To put that number into perspective, the top ten most valuable companies in the world — NVIDIA, Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, TSMC, Meta, Saudi Aramco, Broadcom, and Tesla — are worth roughly $26 trillion.
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Cathie Wood of ARK Invest believes the number is reasonable considering Tesla’s long-reaching industry ambitions:
“…in the world of AI, what do you have to have to win? You have to have proprietary data, and think about all the proprietary data he has, different kinds of proprietary data. Tesla, the language of the road; Neuralink, multiomics data; nobody else has that data. X, nobody else has that data either. I could see $100 trillion. I think it’s going to happen because of convergence. I think Tesla is the leading candidate [for $100 trillion] for the reason I just said.”
Musk said late last year that all of his companies seem to be “heading toward convergence,” and it’s started to come to fruition. Tesla invested in xAI, as revealed in its Q4 Earnings Shareholder Deck, and SpaceX recently acquired xAI, marking the first step in the potential for a massive umbrella of companies under Musk’s watch.
SpaceX officially acquires xAI, merging rockets with AI expertise
Now that it is happening, it seems Musk is even more enthusiastic about a massive valuation that would swell to nearly four-times the value of the top ten most valuable companies in the world currently, as he said on X, the idea of a $100 trillion valuation is “not impossible.”
It’s not impossible
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 6, 2026
Tesla is not just a car company. With its many projects, including the launch of Robotaxi, the progress of the Optimus robot, and its AI ambitions, it has the potential to continue gaining value at an accelerating rate.
Musk’s comments show his confidence in Tesla’s numerous projects, especially as some begin to mature and some head toward their initial stages.
Elon Musk
Celebrating SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Tesla Roadster launch, seven years later (Op-Ed)
Seven years later, the question is no longer “What if this works?” It’s “How far does this go?”
When Falcon Heavy lifted off in February 2018 with Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster as its payload, SpaceX was at a much different place. So was Tesla. It was unclear whether Falcon Heavy was feasible at all, and Tesla was in the depths of Model 3 production hell.
At the time, Tesla’s market capitalization hovered around $55–60 billion, an amount critics argued was already grossly overvalued. SpaceX, on the other hand, was an aggressive private launch provider known for taking risks that traditional aerospace companies avoided.
The Roadster launch was bold by design. Falcon Heavy’s maiden mission carried no paying payload, no government satellite, just a car drifting past Earth with David Bowie playing in the background. To many, it looked like a stunt. For Elon Musk and the SpaceX team, it was a bold statement: there should be some things in the world that simply inspire people.
Inspire it did, and seven years later, SpaceX and Tesla’s results speak for themselves.
Today, Tesla is the world’s most valuable automaker, with a market capitalization of roughly $1.54 trillion. The Model Y has become the best-selling car in the world by volume for three consecutive years, a scenario that would have sounded insane in 2018. Tesla has also pushed autonomy to a point where its vehicles can navigate complex real-world environments using vision alone.
And then there is Optimus. What began as a literal man in a suit has evolved into a humanoid robot program that Musk now describes as potential Von Neumann machines: systems capable of building civilizations beyond Earth. Whether that vision takes decades or less, one thing is evident: Tesla is no longer just a car company. It is positioning itself at the intersection of AI, robotics, and manufacturing.
SpaceX’s trajectory has been just as dramatic.
The Falcon 9 has become the undisputed workhorse of the global launch industry, having completed more than 600 missions to date. Of those, SpaceX has successfully landed a Falcon booster more than 560 times. The Falcon 9 flies more often than all other active launch vehicles combined, routinely lifting off multiple times per week.
Falcon 9 has ferried astronauts to and from the International Space Station via Crew Dragon, restored U.S. human spaceflight capability, and even stepped in to safely return NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams when circumstances demanded it.
Starlink, once a controversial idea, now dominates the satellite communications industry, providing broadband connectivity across the globe and reshaping how space-based networks are deployed. SpaceX itself, following its merger with xAI, is now valued at roughly $1.25 trillion and is widely expected to pursue what could become the largest IPO in history.
And then there is Starship, Elon Musk’s fully reusable launch system designed not just to reach orbit, but to make humans multiplanetary. In 2018, the idea was still aspirational. Today, it is under active development, flight-tested in public view, and central to NASA’s future lunar plans.
In hindsight, Falcon Heavy’s maiden flight with Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster was never really about a car in space. It was a signal that SpaceX and Tesla were willing to think bigger, move faster, and accept risks others wouldn’t.
The Roadster is still out there, orbiting the Sun. Seven years later, the question is no longer “What if this works?” It’s “How far does this go?”
Energy
Tesla launches Cybertruck vehicle-to-grid program in Texas
The initiative was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Tesla has launched a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program in Texas, allowing eligible Cybertruck owners to send energy back to the grid during high-demand events and receive compensation on their utility bills.
The initiative, dubbed Powershare Grid Support, was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Texas’ Cybertruck V2G program
In its post on X, Tesla Energy confirmed that vehicle-to-grid functionality is “coming soon,” starting with select Texas markets. Under the new Powershare Grid Support program, owners of the Cybertruck equipped with Powershare home backup hardware can opt in through the Tesla app and participate in short-notice grid stress events.
During these events, the Cybertruck automatically discharges excess energy back to the grid, supporting local utilities such as CenterPoint Energy and Oncor. In return, participants receive compensation in the form of bill credits. Tesla noted that the program is currently invitation-only as part of an early adopter rollout.
The launch builds on the Cybertruck’s existing Powershare capability, which allows the vehicle to provide up to 11.5 kW of power for home backup. Tesla added that the program is expected to expand to California next, with eligibility tied to utilities such as PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E.
Powershare Grid Support
To participate in Texas, Cybertruck owners must live in areas served by CenterPoint Energy or Oncor, have Powershare equipment installed, enroll in the Tesla Electric Drive plan, and opt in through the Tesla app. Once enrolled, vehicles would be able to contribute power during high-demand events, helping stabilize the grid.
Tesla noted that events may occur with little notice, so participants are encouraged to keep their Cybertrucks plugged in when at home and to manage their discharge limits based on personal needs. Compensation varies depending on the electricity plan, similar to how Powerwall owners in some regions have earned substantial credits by participating in Virtual Power Plant (VPP) programs.
Tesla to a $100T market cap? Elon Musk’s response may shock you
Celebrating SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Tesla Roadster launch, seven years later (Op-Ed)
