Updated October 22, 2026 at 2:21 PM EDT
Elon Musk says Tesla and SpaceX are exploring a possible merger, a move that could bring two of his biggest companies under one roof. But what is the business case for combining an electric vehicle manufacturer with a space and artificial intelligence company?
Longtime tech journalist Kara Swisher, who hosts the podcasts On and Pivot, spoke with Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep about Musk's expanding business empire and political influence.
"He's got to do something with Tesla as it descends downward," Swisher said, pointing to growing competition from Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers.
She argued that Musk missed an opportunity to develop an affordable electric car while competitors such as China's BYD expanded globally.
Swisher said data, AI and connectivity are increasingly central to Musk's businesses, though she questioned whether demand for computing power would hold up if the AI boom falters.
Swisher also discussed what Musk could face if Democrats regain control of Congress, as the billionaire spends hundreds of millions of dollars supporting Republican candidates.
"They could look into what happened at DOGE. I'd start there," Swisher said, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency. She also pointed to previous investigations involving Tesla crashes.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Musk ordered a slowdown of military-grade Starlink service used by Ukrainian forces, disrupting drone operations and air defenses. The decision reportedly caught Ukrainian officials and some in the Trump administration by surprise.
According to the same report by the WSJ, Musk said restrictions on the satellite network are determined by the U.S. military and ultimately the president. But Trump said he did not know who was responsible, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration had neither requested the slowdown nor known about it in advance.
"One single person who happens to be the world's richest man should not be making wartime decisions or decisions about our defense or anything else like that," Swisher said.
"He's unelected, unaccountable, enormously wealthy," she added. "One single person who has no guardrails on him to be able to make these decisions that results in the deaths of people across the globe."
NPR has repeatedly sought comment from Musk, who has a standing invitation to speak with the network. NPR also reached out to SpaceX for comment on this story.
The digital version of this interview was edited by Treye Green.
Copyright 2026 NPR
