Business & economy Technology & AI Science

Tesla beats profit forecasts but lowers sales target as Musk pushes a SpaceX merger

Tesla beat third-quarter forecasts on revenue and earnings per share, but profit fell and it spent less on AI than expected. Special committees at Tesla and SpaceX are assessing a merger that Musk says is not agreed.

L 52%C 16%R 32%

L 52% · C 16% · R 32% · 25 outlets

Left 0 · Centre-left 13 · Centre 4 · Centre-right 6 · Right 2

Sources by lean Follow the money More coverage

How each side framed it

Left-leaning outlets

Profit falls and a merger built on hype: 'Tesla profit slumps' (NYT, AP), a merger may boost Musk's fortune by $110bn (Bloomberg), and investors got no answers on the call (Guardian).

Centre outlets

Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Elon Musk sets lower sales target for Tesla as it explores SpaceX merger” (Financial Times); “Musk backs SpaceX-Tesla merger as rocket firm turns profit” (France 24).

Right-leaning outlets

Beats and ambition: 'Tesla beats on expanding deliveries, energy storage' (Newsmax), surprise free cash flow and lower AI spending (NY Post), humanoid robot sales next year (WSJ).

Holding the paradox

Agreed facts

Tesla's Q3 revenue was $28.05bn with EPS of $0.48, above forecasts, but profit fell year on year. Capex was $4.7bn, below the $7.5bn expected. Special committees at Tesla and SpaceX are assessing a merger, and Musk says nothing is agreed and it is 'tap dancing through a minefield'. Reuters says his public endorsement may complicate talks.

Where claims conflict

Whether lower AI spending is discipline or retreat. Whether a merger serves shareholders or Musk's control.

The paradox

Tesla is valued as an AI and robotics company, yet beat forecasts this quarter by spending less on AI.

Sources by lean

Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.

Showing 3 from each side of 25 rated outlets (L 13 / C 4 / R 8). More coverage

Follow the money

Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.

Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (25 outlets)

Outlet	Lean	Ownership & funding (MBFC)
Al Jazeera	Centre-left	Al Jazeera is owned and funded by the state of Qatar. The founder and Chairman of the Board is Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, a member of Qatar’s ruling family, the House of Thani. According to a Fortune article, i n 2016, state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera laid off 500 workers due to Qatar’s financial troubles resulting from low global prices for oil and natural gas. source
Associated Press	Centre-left	The Associated Press (AP) is a nonprofit news cooperative with a profit of $1.6 million in 2016. It also sells content to other media organizations. According to an article titled “ AP reports loss on one-time accounting charges,” t he Associated Press lost $74 million in 2017, and it states the reason as “mostly due to one-time accounting charges related to the federal tax overhaul passed late last year.” source
Axios	Centre-left	Cox Enterprises, a significant media conglomerate in the U.S, primarily own Axios. The outlet generates revenue primarily through advertising, native content, and sponsored newsletters. Unlike some outlets, Axios does not rely on subscription fees, allowing its content to remain widely accessible. source
Bloomberg	Centre-left	Michael R. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP (The parent company of Bloomberg News). According to Investopedia, Bloomberg Terminal (remote software used to access financial information) is the most expensive among financial data providers. source
CNBC	Centre-left	CNBC is owned by NBC Universal, which Comcast owns. Comcast’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is Brian L. Roberts, founded by his father, Ralph J. source
CNN	Centre-left	No ownership data found
Euronews	Centre-left	Euronews is owned by Alpac Capital, a Portugal-based investment fund that acquired an 88% stake in July 2022, with the remaining 12% held by government-supported broadcasters from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Ownership also has business ties with Hungary’s Viktor Orban. source
NBC News	Centre-left	No ownership data found
New York Times	Centre-left	The Ochs-Sulzberger family controls the New York Times through Class B shares. Since 1967, the company has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYT. Class B shares are those that are held privately. source
The Guardian	Centre-left	The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source
The Independent	Centre-left	The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source
Time	Centre-left	Time Magazine is owned by Marc and Lynne Benioff and is funded through subscriptions, sponsored content, and advertising sales. source
Washington Post	Centre-left	In 2013, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post for $250 million. Bezos is a frequent target of Trump, who has accused the businessman of using the Postal System as its “ Delivery Boy. ” The newspaper’s executive editor, Martin Baron, said Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon, is not involved in its news coverage. source
BBC News	Centre	The BBC operates under a Royal Charter. Oversight is managed by the BBC Board, and regulatory authority rests with Ofcom. source
Financial Times	Centre	The Financial Times is owned by The Nikkei, a Japanese news and financial information company that publishes the leading financial paper, The Nikkei. The FT generates revenue through subscriptions, a hard paywall, and advertising..push({}); source
France 24	Centre	France 24 is owned by France Médias Monde, a state-owned French holding company that supervises and coordinates the activities of the major public media organizations broadcasting or publishing internationally from France. Besides government funding, they also generate revenue through advertising. source
Reuters	Centre	In April 2008, the British company Reuters Group was acquired by Thomson Corporation and formed Thomson Reuters. source
CBS News	Centre-right	CBS News is owned by Paramount Global, which was formerly controlled by National Amusements, Inc., the holding company of the Redstone family. In 2025, Paramount entered into a merger agreement with Skydance Media, effectively ending the Redstones’ majority control. CBS News generates revenue primarily through advertising and affiliate broadcasting fees..push({}); source
ITV News	Centre-right	No ownership data found
Jerusalem Post	Centre-right	In 1989, the paper was purchased by Hollinger Inc. for $17-million, which Canadian-born British Conservative Conrad Black owned. Conrad Black later was charged with “swindling his company, Hollinger International, of $60 million.” He was serving a prison sentence; however, in 2019, President Donald Trump pardoned him. source
New York Post	Centre-right	The New York Post is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which owns many conservative/sensational media outlets worldwide. The paper is funded through advertising, subscriptions, and newsstand sales. source
Wall Street Journal	Centre-right	In 2007, The Bancroft family and relatives sold the Wall Street Journal to Rupert Murdoch for 5 billion dollars. Rupert Murdoch also purchased its parent company, Dow Jones & Co., through News Corporation. Subscriptions and advertising fund the Wall Street Journal. source
Washington Examiner	Centre-right	The Washington Examiner is owned by Clarity Media Group, owned by Philip Anschutz, an American billionaire entrepreneur who describes himself as a “conservative Christian.” Anschutz is also the owner of the right-leaning Weekly Standard and has donated millions of dollars to right-leaning causes, including anti-LGBT groups, such as the Family Research Council, which has been labeled a hate group. source
Breitbart	Right	After the death of Andrew Breitbart in 2012, Larry Solov became CEO and president of Breitbart News. In 2017, according to Politico, Larry Solov revealed the owner of Breitbart as “himself, founder Andrew Breitbart’s widow, Susie Breitbart, and the Republican mega-donor family, the Mercers.” Further, Solov also stated that he wants “to disclose as little as possible about financial and ownership structure.” source
Newsmax	Right	Newsmax is owned by publicly traded Newsmax Inc., which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol NMAX on March 31, 2025. The company completed a $75 million public offering after previously raising approximately $225 million through a preferred-stock offering. source