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According to reports, Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk is set to discuss a potential $5 billion investment in his artificial intelligence startup xAI with the Tesla board. This move comes as Tesla aims to accelerate the development of its robotaxi and self-driving technologies.

The proposed investment follows a poll on X (formerly Twitter), where 68% of respondents favored the idea. xAI, launched by Musk in 2023, recently raised $6 billion in Series B funding, valuing the company at $24 billion post-money.

Can xAI be a Strategy Investment for Tesla?

The proposed investment in xAI is expected to bolster Tesla’s AI infrastructure for training autonomous technology models and advance its full self-driving capabilities.

By integrating xAI’s Grok chatbot with Tesla’s software, the company aims to enhance its autonomous driving technology and potentially accelerate the development of robotaxis. This can significantly improve Tesla’s AI capabilities and infrastructure, potentially leading to faster progress in self-driving technology.

However, the $5 billion investment represents a substantial financial commitment for Tesla, which could affect the company’s profit margins in the short term. This comes when Tesla’s Q2 automotive gross margin and profit fell short of estimates, leading the company to cut prices and offer incentives to boost sales.

Tesla Stock Gains

As of 12:26 PM EDT on July 25, 2024, Tesla’s stock (TSLA) was trading at $223.90, up 3.66% for the day. The company’s market capitalization stood at $715.917 billion, with a trailing P/E ratio of 60.53 and earnings per share of $3.56.

Tesla’s stock has shown mixed performance, with a year-to-date return of -9.81%, underperforming the S&P 500’s 14.85% gain. However, its 5-year return of 1,169.06% significantly outpaces the S&P 500‘s 81.42% over the same period.

Key financial metrics for Tesla include a profit margin of 13.00%, return on equity of 20.86%, and total cash of $30.72 billion. The company’s debt-to-equity ratio stands at 18.61%. Investors will be closely watching Tesla’s upcoming earnings report, expected between October 18-22, 2024, for further insights into the company’s financial health and the potential impact of the proposed xAI investment.

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