Betting on the merger of Tesla and SpaceX? The space ETF under the "female Buffett" has bought over 35,000 shares of Tesla stock

On February 9th, renowned investor Cathie Wood, known as the “Female Buffett” or “Woodie,” made her first purchase of Tesla (TSLA.US) stock through her space-focused ETF (ARKX). According to holdings information, as of February 9th, the fund held a total of 35,766 shares of Tesla, with a total transaction value of approximately $14.7038 million, representing a 1.98% stake.

Image source: ARK Invest official website

It is reported that the ARK Space Exploration & Innovation ETF (ARKX) focuses on companies leading and benefiting from space exploration and technological innovation, including orbital and suborbital spaceflight, supporting technologies (such as artificial intelligence, robotics, 3D printing, materials, and energy storage), as well as space applications (such as agriculture, internet, GPS, and aviation).

Some analysts believe that “Woodie’s” move appears to be betting on a merger between this electric vehicle giant and SpaceX, and she is positioning herself ahead of a potential merger. Tesla is actively advancing its Optimus humanoid robot project, and in the future, robots may participate in building extraterrestrial civilizations. This could be why Ark Invest has included this electric vehicle company in its space ETF.

Recently, SpaceX issued a statement saying it has acquired xAI, an artificial intelligence startup also owned by Elon Musk, to integrate innovative resources across AI, rockets, and space internet. An internal memo from SpaceX indicates that the merged company with xAI is expected to be valued at approximately $527 per share, with a valuation reaching $1.25 trillion. Among these, SpaceX’s valuation is $1 trillion, and xAI’s valuation is $250 billion.

As a result, Musk has become the first person in history to surpass a net worth of $800 billion. According to Forbes, this deal has increased the combined company’s valuation to $1.25 trillion, boosting Musk’s wealth by $84 billion to a record $852 billion.

Since 2025, SpaceX has been rumored to plan its initial public offering (IPO) this year. Media reports suggest that its potential valuation of $1.3 trillion could make it one of the largest companies by market cap in the Nasdaq 100 index.

Regarding SpaceX’s valuation, as early as June this year, ARK Investment Management, owned by Woodie, released an open-source valuation model report predicting that SpaceX’s enterprise value could reach approximately $2.5 trillion by 2030, which is seven times the valuation from its last funding round in December 2024. Specifically, under both bear and bull market scenarios, SpaceX’s valuation is estimated at $1.7 trillion and $3.1 trillion, respectively.