Elon Musk unexpectedly postponed a highly anticipated exclusive interview with CNBC on Friday, leaving network hosts and investors without answers as SpaceX shares continued to trade below their post-IPO highs.
The interview had been heavily promoted by CNBC ahead of its scheduled noon Eastern start time and was expected to be Musk’s first television appearance since SpaceX became a publicly traded company. However, shortly after the scheduled start time, CNBC announced that the interview would no longer take place as planned.
Fast Money Halftime Report host Scott Wapner informed viewers that the exclusive interview had been canceled, turning to CNBC technology reporter Julia Boorstin for an explanation.
“We’ve been promoting this exclusive interview that Elon Musk was expected to give to our Julia Boorstin, which is now apparently no longer happening,” Wapner said before asking Boorstin to explain what had occurred.
Boorstin said the network had been preparing to begin the interview at noon Eastern before learning that Musk needed to postpone.
“We just got word that he has to postpone,” Boorstin said. “Obviously, it would have been great to talk to him in his first TV interview since SpaceX went public.”
She noted there were numerous topics investors were eager to hear Musk address, particularly as the company’s stock continued to face pressure following its recent public debut.
Boorstin pointed out that SpaceX shares were trading below the price of the stock’s first trade and remained well below the highs reached in the weeks after the initial public offering.
She added that the stock had fallen nearly 3% during Friday’s trading session, with shares changing hands at approximately $148.
Despite the setback, Boorstin said CNBC hopes Musk will reschedule the interview at a later date.
“We hope he will give us a new time for this interview,” she said, adding that the network had only recently learned of the postponement.
Wapner acknowledged the disappointment, saying it was “an unfortunate development,” but shifted the discussion toward the broader questions surrounding SpaceX’s valuation.
He suggested investors are still trying to determine how to properly value the aerospace company, pointing to what has been described as an enormous total addressable market along with ambitious revenue projections. Wapner questioned how the company could ultimately achieve those expectations.
The conversation then turned to Kevin Simpson, founder and chief investment officer of Capital Wealth Planning, whose firm owns shares of SpaceX.
Simpson acknowledged that his investment, like many others, was currently under pressure.
“We’re down a little bit on it, as most investors are at this point,” he said, noting that his firm maintains only a small position in the company.
Simpson argued that supporters of the stock point to SpaceX’s dominant position with its Falcon rocket program, as well as what he described as Starlink’s nearly monopolistic standing.
He also said Musk himself remains a significant factor in the investment case, explaining that his firm places a substantial premium on the billionaire entrepreneur despite the unpredictability that sometimes comes with him.
Referencing the postponed interview, Simpson joked that “sometimes he doesn’t show up for an interview,” before explaining what he had hoped to hear from Musk.
According to Simpson, he was particularly interested in whether Musk had any thoughts about the possibility of SpaceX and Tesla—another company owned in his firm’s growth portfolio—potentially considering a merger.
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