FT: School IB economics exercise explores SpaceX-Tesla merger scenario

The Financial Times reports that an IB economics curriculum has adopted a hypothetical SpaceX-Tesla merger as a teaching case. Students are asked to analyze synergies, governance conflicts, and valuation mechanics — treating the combination as a serious strategic option rather than a fantasy. The move reflects how far the idea has traveled from message-board speculation into institutional frameworks.

The logic is familiar: Tesla brings manufacturing scale, energy storage, and a public currency; SpaceX brings launch dominance, Starlink cash flow, and the Mars roadmap. A merger would internalize the satellite-to-vehicle connectivity loop and create a vertically integrated energy-transport-compute conglomerate. But dual-class shares, Elon's control, and regulatory scrutiny remain massive hurdles.

Classroom adoption doesn't predict boardroom action, but it measures Overton window shift. When business schools model the merger as a standard case, the stigma evaporates. The real question isn't if it makes sense on a whiteboard — it's whether the principals want the complexity. For now, both engines run better unfettered.

Source: School IB economics: SpaceX and Tesla boards explore potential merger — Financial Times