Tesla CEO Elon Musk and JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon haven’t been on good phrases lately, however that appears to be altering, in keeping with the Wall Avenue Journal.
Any enchancment of their relationship may clear the best way for the biggest financial institution by market cap to do extra enterprise with billionaire Musk or his constellation of firms, which additionally embrace SpaceX and social-media platform X. In the meantime, Musk may faucet into JPMorgan’s deep provide of capital and providers.
However the conflict of the enterprise titans reportedly received very testy round 2016. That’s when JPMorgan turned down Musk’s request for the financial institution to underwrite leases for Tesla’s EVs, citing uncertainty over learn how to worth the batteries, the WSJ stated.
Musk known as the financial institution, screamed on the head of shopper banking on the time, and threatened to tug Tesla’s business banking enterprise, sources instructed the WSJ, with one saying Musk ended his rant with “F— you.” That angered Dimon, who instructed Musk that JPMorgan wouldn’t be bullied, the report stated.
A spokesman for JPMorgan declined to remark to Fortune. Tesla didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Relations received worse, with JPMorgan suing Tesla in 2021, claiming it was owed cash for a commerce the financial institution helped prepare in 2014. Tesla countersued, and the lawsuits are nonetheless ongoing.
However the WSJ pointed to indicators of a thaw: In November, Dimon known as Musk a “good human being” who’s making “unbelievable contributions to mankind.” In January, Musk complimented Dimon in a tweet after the financial institution boss stated Donald Trump was proper concerning the financial system, immigration, and China.
And in March, Musk confirmed up at a JPMorgan know-how occasion at a Montana resort and spoke with Dimon on stage for an hour, then stopped by Dimon’s suite the place they spoke for an additional hour. Afterward, sources instructed the WSJ that Dimon determined JPMorgan may strive doing enterprise once more with Musk.
In the meantime, Musk is in search of extra allies on Wall Avenue and on capital markets.
He’s attempting to win shareholder help for his historic $47 billion compensation bundle from Tesla, which has gotten intense criticism.
Elsewhere, Musk’s AI firm, xAI, is in search of traders and raised $6 billion in a enterprise capital spherical final month that places the not-even-a-year-old startup at $18 billion.
