Elon Musk is widely known as the world’s richest man, with major stakes in five well-known businesses, including the popular social media platform X. Now, reports suggest that the billionaire could be bringing his considerable financial influence to Hollywood.
A potential SpaceX and Skydance partnership could expand Musk’s media reach
According to Deadline, Tesla owner Elon Musk could invest up to $10 billion in media giant Skydance to help pay off its debt. The move could also give Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite subsidiary, an opportunity to enter the entertainment business. Billionaire media mogul John Malone made the eye-opening prediction on Wednesday. He has earned a reputation as a visionary for his ability to anticipate where the industry is headed.
Malone said, “I think there’s a deal coming there. Maybe an $8 billion or $10 billion cross-investment.”
“These guys are very intertwined. Who helped Elon finance Twitter when he bought it? Larry Ellison. Okay. How did Larry Ellison come up with some of the money to put into the creation of Skydance? Tesla stock. And I would not doubt for a minute that before very long you’re gonna see an announcement. I predict – big prediction – that you’ll see a global output deal for Skydance with SpaceX, and an investment by SpaceX into Skydance, to de-lever Skydance and take a little bit of the burden off [Skydance CEO] David Ellison’s shoulders, because he’s taking on a pretty big pile of debt,” he said it before.
For context, Elon Musk already has deep ties to Hollywood. Beyond investing in films, he has made cameo appearances in several major movies and TV shows. Long before Tesla and SpaceX became household names, the 55-year-old had already invested in Hollywood productions.
X owner served as an executive producer on the 2005 film Thank You for Smoking and has also invested in films and other projects involving his sister, Tosca Musk. Additionally, several reports have suggested that Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark in the Iron Man films was partly inspired by Musk.
