A new report from the San Francisco Chronicle claims Apple may have explored a possible purchase of electric car maker Tesla last year.
The specific claim that Apple was considering a purchase of Tesla seems to be primarily speculation, but the report notes that Apple’s head of acquisitions Adrian Perica met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk early last year. According to the report’s source, Apple CEO Tim Cook was probably also involved in the meeting.
The Chronicle reports:
In October 2013, German investment banking analyst Adnaan Ahmad created a media stir when he wrote an “open letter” to Apple CEO Tim Cook and board director Al Gore, urging the company to acquire Tesla. […]
Six months before Ahmad’s letter, Musk met with Perica and probably Cook at Apple headquarters, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect business relationships. While a megadeal has yet to emerge (for all of its cash, Apple still plays hardball on valuation), such a high-level meeting between the two Silicon Valley giants involving their top dealmakers suggests Apple was very much interested in buying the electric car pioneer.
Other sources speculate that the discussion may have involved integration of iOS devices into Tesla cars, but that doesn’t explain why Musk and Perica would have been involved.
Speculation is fun, isn’t it?
