During a recent interview with Virgin Radio’s Chris Evans for an episode of The Chris Evans Breakfast Show, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe shared his honest thoughts about the possibility of Tesla acquiring his company. When asked directly if he would sell if Musk made a massive buyout offer, Scaringe smiled and replied, “I’d prefer not.”
The exchange was highlighted in a clip shared by Virgin Radio UK on X. Scaringe explained that he views his brand as having “a tremendous amount of upside from where we are today” and added that it would be “a shame to have the company be sold” before the fruits of its labor since being incorporated back in 2009 can even fully ripen.
Rivian founder RJ Scaringe would prefer if Elon Musk did NOT try to buy his company 🚙💰❌
— Virgin Radio UK (@VirginRadioUK) June 18, 2026
Download the Virgin Radio UK app ⬇️ https://t.co/nBoiFJobuf @Rivian @RJScaringe pic.twitter.com/9Mc2qMuszV
The concept of a big electric vehicle consolidation gets tossed around a lot by industry onlookers. With Tesla currently holding a massive market cap of $1.23 trillion, its valuation is more than 50 times that of Rivian, which sits at $23.85 billion. On top of that, Elon Musk recently became the world’s first trillionaire after SpaceX’s blockbuster IPO rocketed his net worth. This massive wealth means Musk could theoretically drop a buyout offer that most corporate boards couldn't ignore, but Rivian’s leadership isn’t exactly waiting by the phone.
Surviving Musk’s Dire Predictions
Scaringe’s preference to stay independent comes after his startup successfully defied some pretty grim predictions. Back in 2024, Musk openly questioned Rivian’s capital situation, posting on X that their current trajectory would leave them bankrupt in about six quarters. It has now been 10 quarters since that prediction, and Rivian is not only alive and kicking but is actively trying to turn a new leaf as a mass-market player instead of just a niche adventure EV brand.
Current trajectory has them bankrupt in ~6 quarters. Maybe that trajectory will change, but so far it hasn’t. pic.twitter.com/tNNijQ3KwT
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2024
In fact, they managed to put up some surprising wins since Musk condemned them to extinction. In 2025, Tesla delivered 20,237 Cybertrucks. Rivian, meanwhile, delivered 42,247 R1T and R1S vehicles during the same year. Even if you assume a cautious 50-50 split between the truck and the SUV, that would be just over 21,000 R1Ts handed over to customers, meaning Rivian actually outsold Tesla in the electric pickup truck market last year.
Competing Against the Model Y
Now, the competitive landscape is shifting rapidly. Rivian is targeting the core segment of the EV market with its new midsize SUV, taking on Tesla’s Model Y. We saw Rivian officially kick off R2 customer deliveries last month, and the startup managed to beat its own internal guidance for the quarter. To keep the momentum going, Rivian has revealed R2 order windows for all reservation holders so those on the waitlist can start speccing out their R2 orders as deliveries ramp up.
The R2 launched with a top-of-the-line Performance Launch Package trim, but the real test will come when lower-priced versions, including a much-hyped $45,000 Standard variant, hit the assembly lines. Trying to chip away at the best-selling vehicle in the world across all powertrain types will be a mountain of a task. To put the scale into perspective, Tesla far exceeded Q2 2026 delivery estimates with 480,126 vehicles handed over globally, while Rivian only delivered 12,194 vehicles during the same three-month window.
At the current operational scale, there’s very little reason for Musk to want to absorb a competitor unless they develop a highly unique proprietary technology or nurture exceptional talent that catches his eye. Instead, a corporate union is much more likely to happen closer to home. A Tesla-SpaceX (or SpaceX-Tesla, considering SpaceX’s current market cap of $2.134 trillion) merger has long been rumored, and the two companies have steadily gone from occasionally collaborating and harboring synergies to operating with a clear path to convergence. For now, Scaringe appears free to continue carving out his own lane at his own pace. Check out RJ Scaringe’s full segment on Virgin Radio UK below:
