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SpaceX reports revenue up 161% in quarter; Musk floats Tesla merger

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 9 outlets across the spectrum.

20 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

SpaceX rocket on display in front of white company facility building with glass windows
Image via MarketWatchHow images are chosenReport this image

SpaceX reported its quarterly earnings on Tuesday, October 20, with revenue up 161% from a year earlier, according to ABC News, the Financial Times and the New York Post. The New York Post reports third-quarter revenue of $14.6 billion. The Financial Times reports capital investment above $19bn, more than Wall Street expected. Shares rose in after-hours and premarket trading, and US futures climbed on Wednesday as the results eased concerns about AI spending. Elon Musk has said SpaceX is weighing a deal with Tesla and has floated a possible merger of the two companies. The New York Post reports that the AI business has overtaken Starlink as SpaceX's largest moneymaker.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. SpaceX reported quarterly revenue up 161% from a year earlier.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    ABC News
    Center
    Financial Times
    Right
    New York Post

  2. The New York Post reports third-quarter revenue of $14.6 billion.

    One outletNew York Post· Right

  3. Elon Musk has floated a possible merger of SpaceX and Tesla, and said the companies are being considered for a deal.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times
    Center
    CNBC, France 24
    Right
    New York Post

  4. SpaceX shares rose in after-hours and premarket trading after the results.

    Reported byCenter1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    CNBC
    Right
    New York Post

  5. The Financial Times reports capital investment above $19bn, more than Wall Street expected.

    One outletFinancial Times· Center

  6. US stock futures rose on Wednesday as the results eased concerns about AI spending.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Bloomberg
    Center
    MarketWatch

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that SpaceX's revenue rose 161% and that markets or its shares rose after the results. The left leads with the AI trade and market moves, the center with Musk's possible Tesla merger and spending, and the right with a stunning revenue surge and stock jump.

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Left headlines lead with the AI trade and market reaction, with Bloomberg and the NYT framing the results as reviving an AI rally; Business Insider alone asks whether Starlink can pass a test.

    SpaceX revenue soars 161% as AI business grows
    ABC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    4 outlets

    Center headlines pair the results with share moves and Musk's Tesla merger talk, while the Financial Times stresses data centre deals and capital spending.

    SpaceX up 10% in premarket after earnings beat and Musk hints at Tesla tie-up
    CNBCCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The New York Post headlines lead with the revenue surge and share jump, using words such as stunning and blowout, and add Musk's Tesla merger talk.

    SpaceX jumps 10% and Tesla rises on Sensational language“stunning”Calling the revenue surge stunning adds drama beyond the reported figures.More neutral: revenue surgeDisagree with this highlight? revenue surge, possible merger
    New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left2

    seized on the momentumcrazy

  • Center2

    off the chartstalks up

  • Right3

    whoppingblowout earningsstunning

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    whoppingMore neutral: 161%

    The word adds drama to the 161% figure, which the report gives without a judgement of its size.

    …in after-hours trading Tuesday after the rocket and satellite giant reported a whopping 161% jump in quarterly revenue -- fueled by an AI business that has overtaken its…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    blowout earningsMore neutral: strong earnings

    The word blowout describes the results as exceptional, a judgement the reported figures do not state on their own.

    SpaceX stock soars on blowout earnings that see revenue surge 161% — as Musk talks Tesla merger

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Sensational language

    off the chartsMore neutral: demand for its computing power is rising sharply

    The idiom asserts that demand is extreme without giving a figure to support it.

    …a big reason to believe in the AI boom as demand for its computing power is off the charts.

    Used byMarketWatch (Center)

  • Loaded verb

    seized on the momentumMore neutral: said after the results

    The phrase implies Musk opportunistically exploited the results, a judgement the reported facts do not establish.

    CEO Elon Musk seized on the momentum to call for a mega-merger with Tesla.

    Used byBloomberg (Left)

Show 3 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded verb

    talks upMore neutral: says SpaceX could merge with Tesla

    Talks up suggests promotion of a idea, while the article reports only that Musk said a merger is possible.

    Musk talks up potential merger of SpaceX and Tesla

    Used byFrance 24 (Center)

  • Sensational language

    crazyMore neutral: (omit) and quote the statement

    Diagnoses the speaker instead of quoting them.

    As crazy as this sounds, $1T in SpaceX revenue in 2028 is no longer impossible…

    Used byBusiness Insider (Left)

  • Sensational language

    stunningMore neutral: revenue surge

    Calling the revenue surge stunning adds drama beyond the reported figures.

    SpaceX jumps 10% and Tesla rises on stunning revenue surge, possible merger

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Sensational language

    Quoted

    crazyMore neutral: (omit) and quote the statement

    Diagnoses the speaker instead of quoting them.

    "As crazy as this sounds, $1T in SpaceX revenue in 2028 is no longer impossible," the Tesla and…

    Quoted byBusiness Insider (Left)

    Inside a quotation: the outlets are reporting someone else’s words.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

4 outlets

Leads with

  • AI business growth
  • market reaction and AI trade
  • 161% revenue rise
See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

4 outlets

Leads with

  • premarket share gains
  • Musk's Tesla merger hint
  • capital spending and AI demand

Leaves out

  • The $14.6 billion third-quarter revenue figure

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 4 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • stock surge
  • stunning revenue surge
  • possible Tesla merger

Leaves out

  • Starlink mobile carrier bet raised by Business Insider

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    Business Insider, Oct 20, 6:31 AM EDT

  • Center

    9 hr 41 min later

    Its first report, Oct 20, 4:12 PM EDT

  • Right

    12 hr 12 min later

    Its first report, Oct 20, 6:42 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Business InsiderLeftOct 20, 6:31 AM EDT
  2. Financial TimesCenterOct 20, 4:12 PM EDT
  3. ABC NewsLeftOct 20, 5:44 PM EDT
  4. New York PostRightOct 20, 6:42 PM EDT
  5. MarketWatchCenterOct 20, 7:10 PM EDT
  6. BloombergLeftOct 21, 12:50 AM EDT
  7. CNBCCenterOct 21, 4:25 AM EDT
  8. France 24CenterOct 21, 6:26 AM EDT
  9. The New York TimesLeftOct 21, 8:23 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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