Media Mogul John Malone Says SpaceX Could Invest Billions in Skydance

Financial Speculation

Media mogul John Malone believes that Elon Musk's SpaceX could invest up to $10 billion into Skydance. Malone made the prediction at the Paley Center for Media's International Council Summit in New York, pointing to close ties between Musk and Oracle founder Larry Ellison. Larry Ellison's son, David Ellison, serves as Skydance CEO, and the Ellison family along with RedBird Capital own all voting shares in the media company.

Debt and Content Deals

Malone suggested that an investment of $8 billion or $10 billion would help Skydance pay down its large pile of debt. The newly formed company carries about $80 billion in net debt and aims to save $6 billion over three years through layoffs and cost cuts while funding new content. Malone also predicted the deal would include a global output deal for Skydance content, likely for the social platform X.

Past Ties and Responses

Malone highlighted past financial connections between Larry Ellison and Musk, noting that Ellison put up about $1 billion to help fund Musk's 2022 takeover of Twitter and used Tesla stock to help raise funds for the Paramount-WBD deal. Representatives for Skydance and Elon Musk declined or did not respond to requests for comment. Meanwhile, Musk recently stated that SpaceX and Tesla are exploring a potential merger.

Context

Major media and tech deals often involve complex webs of financing, shared investors, and strategic partnerships across different industries. Industry leaders frequently take on significant debt during major studio mergers and corporate combinations to fund future growth and content production.