Elon Musk Today: SpaceX-xAI Merger, Moon Pivot, Tesla Robotaxis, and a Race to $1 Trillion
Elon Musk is dominating headlines across every industry he touches as of March 1, 2026 ET. From a landmark SpaceX-xAI merger to a stunning pivot away from Mars, the Tesla CEO and world's richest person is reshaping technology, space exploration, and global finance at a pace that has left markets and governments scrambling to keep up.
SpaceX Acquires xAI in Record-Setting $1.25 Trillion Merger
The biggest business story of 2026 so far centers on Elon Musk merging two of his most powerful companies into a single entity. Musk's net worth soared past $800 billion after he merged SpaceX with xAI in a deal that valued the combined entity at $1.25 trillion. The transaction creates the most valuable private company in history by a significant margin.
SpaceX now accounts for nearly two-thirds of Musk's total wealth, surpassing Tesla as the primary engine of his fortune. Musk is worth more than the next three richest people — Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg — combined.
With a potential SpaceX IPO expected in 2026 that could value the combined space and AI company at $1.5 trillion, Musk could become the world's first trillionaire. Analysts estimate he currently carries a 75% probability of crossing that threshold before year's end.
Elon Musk Pivots SpaceX From Mars to the Moon
In a dramatic strategic shift posted to X, Musk announced that SpaceX has now shifted its priorities to building a self-growing city on the Moon, arguing it could be achieved in less than a decade compared with more than 20 years for a similar plan on Mars. "The overriding priority is securing the future of civilization and the Moon is faster," he wrote.
Musk noted that it is only possible to travel to Mars when the planets align every 26 months, whereas SpaceX can launch to the Moon every 10 days. He said the company remains committed to building a Mars city and will begin doing so in about five to seven years.
The pivot arrives as NASA prepares its Artemis II mission, scheduled for as soon as March 2026 ET, which will send four astronauts on a circumlunar voyage — the first crewed deep space mission in over five decades.
Tesla Drops Model S and Model X, Goes All-In on Robotaxis and Optimus
Elon Musk's Tesla is undergoing its most radical transformation in years. Tesla pivoted from electric vehicles to autonomous technology as Musk announced the discontinuation of Model S and Model X to focus on mass-producing Optimus robots. The Cybercab robotaxi is central to this pivot.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed the company will sell its fully autonomous Cybercab robotaxi for under $30,000 before 2027, as production officially begins. Musk also said Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots could be available for public purchase by the end of 2027, saying the robots should be reliable, safe, and capable of a range of functions.
Tesla's stock price is down about 9% in 2026, with the company's brand value and core auto sales in decline while its long-promised robotaxis and humanoid robots remain in development.
Elon Musk Declares 2026 the Year of the AI Singularity
Musk stunned the tech world by posting on X: "We have entered the Singularity." Hours later, he followed it up with a second post: "2026 is the year of the Singularity." Both were in response to engineers marveling at what AI tools can now do — cranking out years of work in weeks and reshaping how software is built.
Musk said he would prefer to slow AI down, but admitted that is likely impossible, as the competitive pressure to keep pushing forward is too great. Meanwhile, X Money — Musk's payments product embedded inside X — entered closed internal testing on February 14 ET, with a public beta expected within March or April 2026.
Legal Trouble: French Raid, Investor Trial, and NLRB Battle
Elon Musk's legal calendar is loaded. French authorities raided X's Paris offices and summoned Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino over alleged crimes linked to AI chatbot Grok, escalating European regulatory tensions. Jury selection for Musk's investor trial is proving challenging, as prospective jurors reportedly express strong negative views about the billionaire entrepreneur.
On a positive legal note, the NLRB reportedly abandoned its legal battle with SpaceX, dismissing a wrongful termination case over fired engineers who criticized Musk in an open letter. The battlefield in Ukraine also felt Musk's reach this week, as Starlink terminals used by Russian forces were shut down, causing severe communications problems and halting assault operations.
