SpaceX: Will Merger Delay IPO?

SpaceX: Will Merger Delay IPO?

SpaceX has agreed to acquire xAI in a share-based merger that values the combined company at $1.25trn, with xAI priced at roughly $250bn. Executives also confirmed that SpaceX was still aiming for an IPO in June, in line with CEO Elon Musk’s belief that it will be an astrologically propitious moment. However, bankers quoted by the Financial Times said the xAI acquisition could complicate this expedited timeline. Sherwood News noted that Tesla [TSLA] was not mentioned as part of the merger, despite recent reports on the possibility of a Tesla/SpaceX tie-up. 

Waymo’s Worth $126bn Now

Waymo, Alphabet’s [GOOGL] autonomous driving unit, has raised $16bn in fresh funding, lifting its post-money valuation to $126bn. The round was led by Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global and Sequoia Capital, alongside Alphabet. Waymo currently operates autonomous ride-hailing across major US cities and plans to expand to 20 more markets by 2026, including Tokyo and London.

Beijing Takes Action on EV Door Handles

China has become the first country to ban hidden door handles on electric vehicles, citing safety concerns after fatal crashes in which power failures reportedly prevented doors from opening. New rules require all passenger doors to have mechanical releases inside and out, plus minimum-sized recessed handles and clear interior signage, the BBC detailed. The regulations take effect on January 1, 2027, with a two-year grace period for approved models. 

Will This Data Center Infrastructure Stock Heat Up in 2026?

Vertiv [VRT] is an Ohio-based infrastructure company that provides cooling and power management for data centers. In late January, Vertiv announced Next Predict, an AI-powered solution for data center maintenance. OPTO details how, despite competition from new cooling technologies like Microsoft’s [MSFT] microfluidics system, analysts remain bullish on the stock — Barclays, for example, upgraded VRT stock to ‘overweight’ with a $200 price target.

“Historic” Earnings Call for Palantir

The data giant’s [PLTR] Q4 was “nothing short of historic” according to Ryan Taylor, Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Legal Officer. Revenue was $1.41bn, up 70% year-over-year, driven by surging US demand and rapid artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. US revenue jumped 93% and now accounts for 77% of total sales, while total contract value hit a record $4.3bn. Management guided Q1 2026 revenue to about $1.53bn, underscoring continued momentum. 

Investors Flock to Oracle Bonds

Oracle [ORCL] raised $25bn in a blockbuster bond offering, drawing peak orders of $127bn, after reassuring investors it would maintain its investment-grade credit rating while funding AI expansion. The eight-part deal, with maturities from three to 40 years, follows Oracle’s multi-billion-dollar AI spending spree and its $300bn OpenAI contract, with new equity also used to manage debt and reassure the market.

CoreWeave’s New Nvidia Deal Turns Heads

On January 26, Nvidia [NVDA] announced plans to invest an additional $2bn in CoreWeave [CRWV] to help the cloud service provider build and operate so-called ‘AI factories’ with capacity of over 5GW by 2030. OPTO explores how this fresh influx of funds could represent a turning point for the pre-profit cloud services provider, which has leveraged its unique access to Nvidia chips to help grow its business.