While it's unlikely that we'll see Apple buy Tesla in the near future, that doesn't mean that shareholders don't want to see it happen.
At a recent shareholder meeting, the question of an Apple-Tesla acquisition was raised twice, shortly after it was reported that Apple was poaching Tesla employees to work on a secret car project.
"Quite frankly, I'd like to see you guys buy Tesla," said one shareholder during a question and answer period at a shareholder meeting. This was met with applause and laughter from other shareholders but received a rather evasive answer from Apple CEO Tim Cook.
"We don't have a relationship with Tesla," Cook replied.
While this is certainly not the answer shareholders want to hear, even Cook himself admitted that he dodged the question.
"Was that a good way to avoid the question?" he quipped. "Hey, there are some perks to being CEO."
Another shareholder tried to bring up the question again, saying that while he was in love with his Apple products, he was also in love with his Tesla Model S, to which Cook responded that Apple was very focused on CarPlay.
While it certainly seems a little far-fetched to imagine Apple entering the auto industry through a Tesla purchase, the idea is not, according to some reports, as crazy as it seems. Apple has reportedly been working on an electric car of its own, with billionaire Carl Icahn, one of Apple's biggest shareholders, saying that he looks forward to driving an Apple car in the future.
Even Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, thinks that a partnership between the two companies might be a good idea. In an interview last year, he said that Apple entering the auto industry would be a great idea and that he could certainly see his company using some kind of Android or iOS software. He then added that working with either Google or Apple would have to align with Tesla's goals of accelerating the electric car revolution.
The interesting part comes in the fact that Tesla's CEO said that there have been a number of talks between Apple and Tesla, despite the fact that Cook says that Apple has not talked with Tesla at all. It is highly likely that Musk is telling the truth, with Cook instead aiming to keep the talks under wraps to avoid starting rumors about future Apple products.
