*By Amanda Weston*
After CEO Elon Musk [walked back his plans to take Tesla private](https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/blog/staying-public?redirect=no), some analysts resurfaced the fantasy that Apple might be interested in buying the electric car maker. Loup Ventures managing partner Gene Munster thinks the match is inspired, but unlikely.
"The reason why it's a fairy tale is both companies are really beholden to their views on design. Musk is not going to give up design. Apple won't," Munster said Tuesday in an interview on Cheddar.
Still, there are plenty of reasons a deal makes sense. In fact, in a [recent article](https://loupventures.com/apple-tesla-is-a-fairy-tale-with-a-twist/), Munster wrote that "the two tech giants could take over the auto industry over the next 20 years."
For one thing, a partnership might help rein in Musk's sometimes-erratic style, Munster said.
"From Tesla's perspective, this answers the critical leadership question around the ability to run a company. The steady hand of Tim Cook can be a nice complement to the visionary of Elon Musk," Munster said. "I think that would be a unique combination that investors would applaud and appreciate. And then from Apple's perspective, they're trying to do more in auto."
Further, Apple could easily provide hardware, software, and A.I. resources to improve Tesla cars, something Munster sees as a big positive.
"Imagine all the things that you love about your iPhone in a car," Munster said. "They could tightly integrate the Tesla experience with the iOS experience."
There's also a potential marketing boost ー Model 3s could perhaps be displayed in some of Apple's 511 stores, Munster said.
What's stopping Munster from betting on a deal, for now, is his belief that Tesla will ultimately get its financial position in order and be able to survive on its own.
"But the quick twist is that if in fact Tesla runs into financial problems, they will need to have a suitor, and Apple's a likely suitor," he said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/apple-gears-up-for-new-iphones-amid-talk-of-relationship-with-tesla).
Joe Cecela, Dream Exchange CEO, explains how they are aiming to form the first minority-controlled company to operate an exchange in U.S. history. Watch!
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
At 100 years old, the Goodyear Blimp is an ageless star in the sky. The 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 — flying roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually — to celebrate its greatest anniversary tour. Even though remote camera technologies are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2½-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event.
You'll just have to wait for interest rates (and prices) to go down. Plus, this deal's a steel, the big carmaker wedding is off, and bribery is back, baby!
