Tesla CEO Musk openly supported Trump during the US presidential election, and after Trump's victory, he became the biggest winner, not only did Tesla's stock surge 38% after the election, increasing the company's market value by over $300 billion, but Musk also successfully joined the cabinet, being appointed by Trump to lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to streamline government spending.
Notably, Musk tweeted an exposé today that before the election, Amazon founder Bezos (Jeff Bezos) was convinced that Trump would lose the election, and even tried to persuade others to sell their Tesla and SpaceX stocks:
Just learned tonight at Mar-a-Lago that Jeff Bezos was telling everyone that @realDonaldTrump would lose for sure, so they should sell all their Tesla and SpaceX stock
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 21, 2024
It is currently unknown whether Musk's statement is true, but after Trump's victory, Bezos tweeted a congratulatory message:
Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) November 6, 2024
Before the election, Bezos had prevented his The Washington Post from endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, which sparked criticism and led to a large number of subscribers cancelling their subscriptions. Bezos wrote at the time that he had decided not to publicly support Harris or Trump, believing this to be a meaningful step in the right direction, hoping to restore the American people's trust in the media.
Musk's Bet Pays Off Big
With Trump's victory, Musk has become the number one red person around Trump, and investors are more interested in Musk's companies, including his AI startup xAI and space technology company SpaceX. It was reported this week that xAI has informed investors that it will raise $5 billion in its latest round of funding, with a valuation of $50 billion, more than double its valuation a few months ago.
Sources told The Wall Street Journal that the Qatar Sovereign Wealth Fund, Valor Equity Partners, Sequoia Capital, and Andreessen Horowitz are expected to participate in this round of financing, making xAI's total fundraising this year reach $11 billion.