Rumors are circulating again about Elon Musk buying Ford, hitting Google Trends as a top search. The news “Elon Musk buys Ford” spread quickly last year when a YouTube video surfaced that included some speculation about whether the world’s richest man would buy the iconic car company,
Curiously, the video came out almost exactly a year ago, and has racked up about 352,000 views. As multiple reports clarify, Musk never announced he was even interested. Ford has not released any news of any kind, And no reputable site has covered the news as factual.
That doesn’t mean it could never happen.
The company known for their F-150 is valued at $43 billion, which is not that far off from the price tag for Twitter in April of 2022. He has since renamed the social media app to X and radically altered the landscape, making it more about free speech and memes than anything.
Sure, Elon Musk would be a change agent at Ford
In journalism, the one constant is that things change. Quickly Many years ago, there was an axiom that Ford sells as many trucks in a day as Tesla sells in an entire year. That has changed dramatically. Ford sells 750,800 trucks per year, But Tesla sold 1.81 million cars globally in 2023. And, Tesla is the rising star of the automotive field.
I test and review cars each week, and I have to say, there is something wildly interesting about this unsubstantiated rumor which is based on a YouTube video and nothing else. Ford has been moving slowly in the direction of electric vehicles for years, and with Musk at the helm, there is a good chance he would push that agenda further.
Imagine a network of Ford charging stations popping up all across the country, even in my little old town outside of Minneapolis. Also imagine sports cars that have incredible 0-60 ratings just because that’s cool. Also imagine the iconic brand…falling into obscurity.
Why the idea of Elon Musk buying Ford doesn’t make sense
The tantalizing idea is mostly without merit for a few reasons. To answer the question more directly, if Elon Musk bought Ford I think it would turn into a disaster of epic proportions, like taking Twitter and turning it into a free speech wasteland.
For starters, no one is asking for this, especially Ford. I’ve generally liked their recent models, especially the Maverick truck which is affordable and rugged. The company doesn’t need a savior, and you could argue that Twitter didn’t really need one, either.
Also, it is looking for Ford is backing off on the idea of building all electrics. The infrastructure is just not ready for it, and Musk doesn’t seem to know the first thing about non-electric cars.
Musk buying Ford would be like Ford buying Twitter. There is just too much disparity in his portfolio of companies, and he is too busy building an electric car company. Why would he want to pivot to a company that is still figuring out their electric future?
I also think Ford might have an issue with all of this speculation. The iconic brand has been around forever, since the Model-T. We’re not talking about the volatile nature of a social media app, which can come and go like the wind. There are at least 2,800 dealerships across the U.S. these days.
Manufacturing plants, the blue oval brand — it’s not exactly a trivial idea to think someone famous and very rich could just buy a major automotive firm.
More than anything, it’s just fun to think about.
Even if the reality of Elon Musk buying Ford is not that appealing.
Here’s the video “Elon Musk buys Ford” that started it all: