Elon Musk has once again captured public attention with a provocative social media exchange that has raised eyebrows among Tesla shareholders and media observers.
The Tesla CEO’s latest potential media venture emerged in the wake of Comcast’s recent announcement to spin off its cable news channels.
Following Comcast’s revelation about potentially separating its media properties, including MSNBC and CNBC, Musk engaged in a tantalizing dialogue on X (formerly Twitter) that echoed his previous successful acquisition of the social media platform.
The conversation began when Donald Trump Jr. suggested a “funniest idea ever” to Musk, to which the billionaire entrepreneur responded with a direct inquiry: “How much is it?”
This exchange bears a striking resemblance to Musk’s approach to acquiring Twitter in 2017, when he first casually asked about the platform’s price before ultimately purchasing it for $44 billion in October 2022.
The parallels have not been lost on social media users, who quickly began speculating about the potential media acquisition.
Musk further fueled the speculation with a cryptic follow-up post, stating that “The most entertaining outcome, especially if ironic, is most likely” – a statement characteristic of his often unpredictable communication style.
However, the potential acquisition comes with significant complications for Musk’s Tesla shareholders.
Given that a substantial portion of Musk’s net worth is tied to Tesla stock, purchasing MSNBC would likely require selling Tesla shares, similar to his Twitter acquisition.
This prospect has raised concerns among retail investors, who previously experienced significant stock value fluctuations during the Twitter purchase.
The timing is particularly interesting, as Comcast considers spinning off its cable news channels. MSNBC, known for its left-leaning editorial stance, would be a notable addition to Musk’s media portfolio, which already includes X and other communication platforms.
While Musk’s comment may be partly in jest, his history of transforming media platforms suggests that even his most offhand remarks could potentially materialize into significant business moves.
Tesla shareholders and media industry observers are watching closely, wondering if this could be another instance of Musk turning a casual comment into a billion-dollar transaction.
As of now, neither Comcast nor Musk has made any official statement confirming serious intentions to pursue the network’s acquisition.
The speculation remains just that – speculation fueled by Musk’s characteristically provocative social media presence.