Musk reportedly sought X ad purchases from SpaceX IPO advisers

Elon Musk reportedly asked banks pursuing advisory work on SpaceX's stock-market debut to purchase advertising on X. The accounts date to April 2026 and concern negotiations with IPO advisers, rather than a newly announced October requirement for investors.

People familiar with the discussions said Musk also required participating banks and other advisers to buy subscriptions to Grok. Some banks reportedly committed tens of millions of dollars and began adding the chatbot to their technology systems. Musk was said to have pressed less strongly for X advertising than for Grok purchases.

SpaceX confirmed its acquisition of xAI on February 2, bringing the chatbot business into the aerospace company. That transaction provides the corporate background to the reported subscription demands during IPO preparations.

The reviewed material did not establish a new October advertising mandate or identify completed advertising purchases resulting from the requests. The reported demands remain unconfirmed by Musk or SpaceX, and their eventual commercial terms are unresolved.