The US' largest companies, like Visa, United, Amazon, Apple, and Oracle, are cutting deals with Elon Musk's businesses as he solidifies his power in government
Companies from Boeing to Amazon have sought out the world's richest man as he seeks to remake US government Bluesky: @marypcbuk . Mastodon: @GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social . Forums: r/politics Bluesky: Mary Branscombe / @marypcbuk : Shocked face, my absolute shocked face [embedded post] Mastodon: Kevin Beaumont / @GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social : Visa, United, Oracle and Amazon have cut deals with Elon Musk, with JPMorgan also dropping a lawsuit against Tesla. — > Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan's chief executive, told CNBC last week that he and Musk had “hugged it out” after a years-long feud. … Forums: r/politics : Corporate America cosies up to Elon Musk as billionaire deepens ties to Donald Trump
Context & Ripple Effects
This follows a pattern in which Musk’s companies already occupied a strategically important position for the US government, including a $1.2B SpaceX agreement that included Starshield. The reported corporate agreements extend that dependence-and-access dynamic from public contracting into commercial relationships.
The story also sits alongside scrutiny of Musk’s ability to turn political relationships into business advantages, including reporting that the State Department pressed countries to clear regulatory obstacles for Starlink during tariff talks. That makes private-sector outreach consequential beyond any single deal.
First-order effects
- Visa, United, Amazon, Apple, Oracle and Boeing gain or deepen commercial ties with Musk-controlled businesses as Musk’s influence in government rises.
- JPMorgan’s withdrawal of its Tesla lawsuit and Dimon’s reconciliation with Musk reduce an immediate source of conflict between the bank and Tesla.
Second-order effects
- Companies that compete with or depend on Musk’s businesses may face stronger incentives to preserve access through partnerships rather than public confrontation.
- The combination of corporate deals and government-facing influence raises the strategic value of Musk-controlled platforms in sectors where regulatory access, communications infrastructure or procurement matter.
Third-order effects
- If this pattern persists, commercial counterparties may increasingly treat political proximity as part of the cost of doing business with concentrated technology and infrastructure providers.
- The episode points toward a less distinct boundary between corporate dealmaking and state-linked industrial influence, likely drawing greater attention to conflicts, procurement and competition oversight.
The trend: This is one data point in the growing convergence of concentrated technology infrastructure, corporate partnerships and political access.