Tesla Inc. shares rose 1.13% to $411.02 on Monday as traders reacted to the historic public market debut of Space Exploration Technologies Corp. SpaceX closed at $166.85 on Friday, pushing its valuation past the $2 trillion mark. The surge in Tesla stock follows a 19% first-day gain for SpaceX, which officially made CEO Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire with a net worth of $1.1 trillion according to Forbes. Investor enthusiasm is driven by speculation that Musk may merge his core enterprises to simplify exposure to his business empire.

Merger Speculation Ignites Interest

The primary catalyst for Monday’s rally centers on intense speculation regarding a future combination of Musk’s companies. Ross Gerber, President and CEO at Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management, wrote on X that SpaceX and Tesla will merge. SpaceX Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell told CNBC that a merger is not currently a priority but acknowledged it could make Musk’s life easier. She indicated that Tesla and SpaceX could become more closely aligned over time. Wedbush Securities Managing Director Dan Ives stated there is an 80% chance SpaceX merges with Tesla within a year, asserting the groundwork is already in place for 2027. Nicholas Colas, co-founder of DataTrek Research, also advocated for the move, stating the best approach is to have one company.

Optimus Humanoid Robot Hopes Recirculate

Renewed investor enthusiasm for Tesla's internal technology pipelines is supporting the rally. Expectations regarding the Tesla Optimus humanoid robot are recirculating among trading circles. A Counterpoint Research report by Associate Director Ethan Qi notes Tesla is well-positioned to scale production of its Optimus V3 robot. The report highlights Tesla’s electric vehicle expertise, including its AI5 platform delivering more than 2,000 TOPS of computing power, alongside Full Self-Driving (FSD) tech and Grok AI. Counterpoint projects the Optimus program could reach a 100,000-unit milestone faster than Tesla's early EV programs, emerging as a massive long-term revenue driver.

Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) challenged Elon Musk's assertion that government subsidies played a negligible role in the success of Tesla Inc. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp., citing a previous statement by President Donald Trump. Markey shared a screenshot of a Truth Social post where Trump claimed Musk received more subsidies than "any human being in history" and stated that the companies would "close up shop" without them. "For all those wondering why Elon is scared of this conversation," Markey posted on social media platform X on June 14, 2026.

Mush had previously defended his companies on X, arguing that Federal subsidies accounted for less than 2% of the value of Tesla and SpaceX. He contended that incentives disproportionately benefited competitors rather than his own enterprises. This dispute follows Musk's recent comments regarding Tesla's sales performance following the removal of the $7,500 Federal EV Credit, which ended in September 2025.

Musk stated that Tesla sales increased after the credit expired because buyers shifted from other EV makers to Tesla. Data from Cox Automotive supports the resilience of the EV market, with U.S. sales reaching a record high of 85,000 units in May. The average transaction price for an EV in May stood at $54,532, a 4% year-over-year decline from May 2025. Despite the lack of federal tax credits, incentives remained elevated, averaging nearly twice the industry average at roughly $7,600 per vehicle.

Tesla reported a 3.4% year-over-year drop in transaction prices from May 2025 and a 1% decline from April 2026. The Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover SUV accounted for 96% of Tesla’s sales in May. Customers paid an average of $49,082 for the Model 3 and $51,537 for the Model Y.

Tesla Sales Performance in Key Markets

Tesla received a $465 million Energy Department loan in 2010 to support Model S development, which it repaid early with interest. Regulatory-credit sales have exceeded $14 billion since 2008. Tesla shares were down 0.08% to $406.10 during the after-hours trading session on Friday.