/Tech3h ago

Elon Musk claims government incentives for Tesla and SpaceX total less than 2% of their combined value

Story Overview

Elon Musk is countering narratives about heavy government support for his companies by stating that all incentives combined for Tesla and SpaceX come to less than 2 percent of their joint value, with SpaceX's recent IPO pushing the overall valuation past $2.1 trillion and distinguishing competitive contracts from direct subsidies or credits.

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#52

Original post

Elon Musk@elonmusk

The article is totally false btw. You can add up every government incentive my companies have ever received and they amount to less than 2% of the value of SpaceX and Tesla!

And many of these incentives actually helped our competitors disproportionately to Tesla or SpaceX.

For example, when President Trump removed the $7500 tax credit for electric vehicles, Tesla sales actually INCREASED, because more buyers shifted from other EV makers to Tesla.

2:33 PM · Jun 14, 2026 · 506.6K Views

Open Question

The incentive tally stays unverified

No independent breakdown confirms the exact subset Musk counts as incentives versus the broader $38 billion figure that includes loans, grants, tax credits, and especially SpaceX's NASA and DoD contracts, leaving the precise arithmetic behind the under-2-percent claim open.

Contract Distinction

Contracts get reframed as standard deals

Replies emphasize that many payments reflect government selection of providers for delivered services rather than charity, drawing parallels to research grants or vendor procurements where pricing and choice sit with the buyer, not the recipient.

Sentiment

Positive users defend Musk's wealth as earned through smart work and call him extraordinary, while negative users accuse him of raiding government contracts and acting as a parasite.

Pos

48.3%

Neg

51.7%

449 comments with sentiment.

Cluster Engagement

Posts from X

Most Activity

VIEWS3MBOOKMARKS563LIKES30.7KRETWEETS3.6KREPLIES2.1K

Elon Musk@elonmusk

True

DogeDesigner@cb_doge

Legacy media is now pushing another narrative:

“Virtually all of Elon Musk’s wealth came from government help.”

This is completely false.

Government contracts are not subsidies.

SpaceX wins contracts because it offers the best product at the lowest price. NASA pays SpaceX for real launches, real cargo missions, and real astronaut transport, not charity.

SpaceX is expected to get less than 5% of its revenue from NASA this year.

Add up every government incentive Tesla and SpaceX have ever received, and it is still less than 2% of the value of Tesla and SpaceX.

Tesla did not become the world’s most valuable car company because of tax credits. It became huge because it built better EVs, better software, better batteries, and the best charging network.

And when the $7,500 EV tax credit was removed, Tesla sales increased.

The real reason they’re obsessed with Elon Musk is that he exposed how irrelevant they have become.

People no longer wait for newspaper editors, TV anchors, or corporate journalists to tell them the truth.

Legacy media lost its monopoly on information.

Now all they have left is clickbait, outrage, and anti-Elon narratives.

And that’s exactly why the trust in media is at an all time low.

2h3M30.7K563

TaraBull@TaraBull

@elonmusk The Legacy Media sending out their talking point foot soldiers again

2h6.7K1512

God & Country@GodandCountryy

@elonmusk @BasedMikeLee

2h2.4K163

†saac@zicomiles

@elonmusk Why do we need one man with trillions of dollars, when we can have millions of people with thousands of dollars, enough to live a better life.

2h1.4K13

Clifford Asness@CliffordAsness

Most of what is cited are government contracts. You see the government, which you help run, wanted services and decided his company was best to provide them, which they did at a negotiated price. How on Earth that entitles you to the profit he made providing those services, which you guys wanted and agreed to, is beyond, well anyone especially you and yours.

And the subsidies he got for electric cars were FROM YOUR PARTY because he did WHAT YOU WANTED HIM TO (remember when he was your darling? Nah, you don’t do you?). You don’t get to cry over those either.

“Our money.” Disgusting.

Ed Markey@EdMarkey

Hate to break it to you, Mike. But it is our money. #TaxTheRich

2h34.6K34612

Gail Alfar@gailalfaratx

@elonmusk @wholemars @BasedMikeLee Disgusting @CNN article by @chrisidore that is full of lies and envy. CNN really has an obsession lately with Elon.

2h1.9K59

zucc@zuccschini

@elonmusk @BasedMikeLee

2h1.6K632

Sam@Sam_T_1

@elonmusk The difference between running a company and “running” a country. I would rather see Elon running things.

2h481381

Lu C@askhaggard

@elonmusk

2h324232

+ and -@pos_and_neg

@elonmusk "And that’s exactly why the trust in media is at an all time low"...

2h295242

Santel Jones@SantelJonesB4L

@elonmusk I don't think so. Elon's wealth is a stewardship of God. God knows that Elon will use the $$ to better all of our lives.

2h488101

Brian Osburn - (CycloneOz / retired storm chaser)@Cyclone_Oz

@elonmusk Democrats see someone holding ONE TRILLION DOLLARS and they get all giggy for it.

2h987151

Tina ✨@Tina22_2

@elonmusk They protest Elon's success. He creates it - and makes millionaires along the way. 🔥

2h237112

Dye@DyeThirtyOne

@elonmusk Boeing, Amazon, and Ford are the top 3 Federally subsidized.

Wtf @JeffBezos and I’m paying for no ads on Prime?!?

2h150101

Rick Barlow, old guy making content.@riscorick

@elonmusk Leftists hate entreprenuers. They are living proof that government has a limited role in creating prosperity.

1h1799

Walking bird262615@bird262615

Absolutely false. Research and development investment has given them far more rewards in peaceful exploration, which SpaceX is championing in accelerating. I wouldn’t be posting without Starlink, which SpaceX delivers.

Governments are your enemy in wasteful spending. Death and destruction seem to be the present play with far fewer rewards in that game.

1h396131

Kenneth Elder@KenElderReal1

@elonmusk "Elon is to smart and therefore must be destroyed.

He shows people how to think for themselves and that's anarchy.

Now it's off to a fundraiser."

- Very Caring and trustworthy Politician

1h16181

EricJThompson@EricJThompson

I just bought a Model 3, great car, saved my own money for that, the dollars I used do say “Federal Reserve Note” so I guess all the money we have belongs to the government.

Elon was the lefts darling about 10 years ago, he revolutionized the green car, they practical gave money away for green initiative’s back then. Telsa seems to be the only one to be positive outcome. How much went NGOs loosing the tax payers money by the billions?

2h44891

Rhonda-MoM@rrinard01

@elonmusk @BasedMikeLee MDS "Musk derangment Syndrome"

They are so jealous of him it's all most unreal...

😁😅🤣🤣🤣

2h5697

Zio Rocco@totallyrocco

Ed Markey and the Tax the Rich squad are full of shit.

Elon just dropped the receipts: every government incentive Tesla & SpaceX ever got is less than 2% of the value they created — and many of those incentives actually helped their competitors more.

When Trump killed the $7,500 EV credit, Tesla sales went up. They never needed the crutch.

Mike Lee is right.

Just because Congress wasted money doesn’t make Elon’s success yours.

Stop pretending success is theft.

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