Based on the latest information, it does not appear that Tesla will acquire Rivian, despite some recent discussion on the topic.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk directly addressed this possibility in October 2024 when asked why Tesla had not sought to buy Rivian. Instead of expressing interest in an acquisition, Musk simply wished Rivian well while highlighting the challenges of the automotive industry: “I wish them the best. I hope they do well. The car industry is a very difficult industry.”[1][5]
Musk went on to emphasize the difficulty of competing in the automotive sector, noting that “There’s only two U.S. car companies that haven’t gone bankrupt, and that’s Ford and Tesla.”[1][5] He predicted that “Rivian’s going to have a hard time” and stressed that Tesla’s own success was only possible due to “two technology discontinuities” – electrification and autonomy.[1]
More recently, in May 2025, Tesla bull and fund manager Ross Gerber sparked discussion by suggesting that “Maybe, at some point, it just makes sense for Tesla to buy Rivian.”[2] This post on X (formerly Twitter) generated debate about the strategic merits of such an acquisition. When challenged that Rivian has nothing proprietary that Tesla needs, Gerber responded that Rivian has “a truck people will buy,” taking an apparent shot at Tesla’s Cybertruck, which reportedly faces sales challenges.[2]
Despite this speculation from a prominent Tesla investor, there’s