Elon Musk Says 'Very Different' AI-First Phone Is 'Not Out Of The Question,' Even After Insisting He Hopes He Never Has To Make One

Elon Musk has once again sent mixed signals about entering the smartphone market, suggesting an AI-first device could emerge someday.

Musk Revives Phone Talk With AI Twist

The debate resurfaced Thursday after Sam D'Amico, founder and CEO of Impulse Labs, posted on X that Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) and SpaceX should make phones.

Andrew Côté, founder of Hyperstition, replied that a "Starlink phone would be so sick," prompting Musk to weigh in.

"Not out of the question at some point," Musk responded, adding that it would be "a very different device than current phones," optimized for "maximum performance/watt neural nets."

A Post-Smartphone Vision

Musk's comments align with his broader prediction that smartphones as we know them are nearing obsolescence.

During an October 2025 appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Musk said phones could lose apps, operating systems and even their name within five to six years, replaced by AI-powered "edge nodes" that act as a bridge to far more capable server-based intelligence.

Hope We Don't Have To Make A Phone: Musk

At an October 2024 town hall in Pennsylvania, Musk said, "The idea of making a phone makes me want to die," calling it a massive undertaking.

He reiterated on Rogan's podcast in 2024 that Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) is capable of making a phone but has no plans to do so unless Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) or Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google begins censoring apps or acting as gatekeepers.

Musk first floated the idea of a phone in 2022 after acquiring Twitter, now X, amid concerns about app store access.

SpaceX Weighs xAI And Tesla Tie-Up

SpaceX is reportedly weighing a potential tie-up with xAI and Tesla as it gears up for what could be one of the largest IPOs ever.

The company has reportedly held internal discussions about a possible merger involving Tesla and xAI.

SpaceX is said to be targeting an IPO as early as June at a valuation of about $1.5 trillion, which would instantly rank it among the world's most valuable publicly traded companies.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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