# Musk says Tesla and SpaceX form merger committees

> Musk confirms Tesla and SpaceX boards form special committees to discuss potential merger.
- Title: Musk says Tesla and SpaceX form merger committees · CNBC
- Summary: Musk confirms Tesla and SpaceX boards form special committees to discuss potential merger. Elon Musk said Tesla and SpaceX boards formed special committees…
- Keywords: elon musk, tesla, spacex, merger, q3 2026 earnings, starlink, super intelligence, cursor, xai, business, finance, Musk
- Source: CNBC — https://cnbc.com/2026/10/20/spacex-spcx-earnings-live-updates-q3-2026html.html
- Author: Lora Kolodny
- Published: 2026-10-20T13:00:01+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: elon musk, tesla, spacex, merger, q3 2026 earnings, starlink, ai, super intelligence, cursor, xai, business, finance
## SpaceX Q3 2026 earnings
SpaceX reported 161% revenue growth for Q3 2026, beating Wall Street estimates with $14.58 billion revenue.
## Tesla-SpaceX merger talks
Elon Musk said Tesla and SpaceX boards formed special committees to discuss a potential merger at shareholders' request.
## AI revenue surge
SpaceX's AI business grew ninefold to $7.56 billion from $813 million in Q3 2026, exceeding analyst expectations.
## Starlink subscriber growth
Starlink subscriber count rose to 13.6 million in Q3 2026, up from 12 million in the prior period.
## Starlink revenue jump
Total connectivity revenue jumped 69% to $5.25 billion from $3.1 billion a year earlier, with $3.12 billion from consumers.
## AI business profitability
SpaceX's AI business swung to a profit of $431 million, while the space division lost $7 million in Q3 2026.
## Starship development
SpaceX aims to deploy Starship Flight 14 as a major milestone with plans to catch both the booster and ship in next test flight.
## Terafab chip production
Musk targets volume production of AI chips at Terafab factory in Texas by Q3 2028, partnering with Tesla and Intel.
## Starshield restrictions
SpaceX restricted Starshield use in Ukraine, causing drones to lose connectivity at speeds over 100 miles per hour.
## Starlink mobile network plans
SpaceX plans to build a U.S. mobile network after buying 800 MHz of low-band spectrum and FCC approval for 15,000-satellite constellation.
## AI cloud contracts
SpaceX signed cloud computing agreements with Google, Anthropic, and Reflection AI, generating significant revenue.
## Starlink mobile spectrum
SpaceX bought 800 MHz of low-band spectrum for U.S. mobile network development, pending FCC approval.
## Starlink government revenue
SpaceX generated $2.13 billion from government and enterprise customers in Q3 2026.
## AI capital expenditures
SpaceX committed $16.4 billion to AI business out of $19.6 billion in capital expenditures for Q3 2026.
## Starlink ARPU growth
Starlink average revenue per user increased to $69 from $66 in the prior period, with 13.6 million subscribers.
## Starlink aircraft activation
Starlink activated in over 3,800 aircraft as of Q3 2026, including American Airlines.
## Key takeaway

Elon Musk said Tesla and SpaceX boards formed special committees to discuss a potential merger after reporting strong Q3 2026 earnings.