The recent state of tumult for CEO Elon Musk and Tesla is spurring fresh chatter about an idea that has been rattling around for a long time.
The big question: Should Apple buy Tesla, or at least acquire a major stake? After all, combining the pioneering companies has a certain appeal, given that Apple has an auto initiative and deep pockets, and Tesla has key electric vehicle tech, vision and expertise.
Loup Ventures' Gene Munster revived the idea of a major equity investment, if only to basically knock it down, in this blog post Monday. If Tesla becomes profitable, which he expects, a merger is "nothing more than a fairy tale." But, he adds:
Fortune's Kevin Kelleher, even before Munster's post, explored the topic, noting at one point:
Axios' Kia Kokalitcheva largely agrees with Munster. She tells me:
Our thought bubble: It's all a long shot. But one reason it's coming up again is that Tesla's latest problems — the aborted take-private plan, Musk's erratic behavior, the stock price fall — are raising fresh doubts about the long-term viability of Tesla as a stand-alone company.
