--- title: "Elon Musk Denies SpaceX Sought to Buy AI Startup Cognition, Says Talks Only Centered on Grok" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/296478283.md" description: "Elon Musk and Cognition AI CEO Scott Wu denied reports that SpaceX attempted to acquire the AI startup. They clarified that discussions were limited to ensuring Grok's compatibility with Cognition's needs, not a sale. This follows news of Cognition seeking $1 billion in funding at a $40 billion valuation. Additionally, Musk confirmed Starship recovery after its 13th test flight." datetime: "2026-08-20T10:39:57.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/296478283.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296478283.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/296478283.md) --- # Elon Musk Denies SpaceX Sought to Buy AI Startup Cognition, Says Talks Only Centered on Grok **Space Exploration Technologies Corp.** (NASDAQ:SPCX) CEO **Elon Musk** has denied that the commercial spaceflight company tried to acquire artificial intelligence (AI) startup **Cognition AI**. ## SpaceX Did Not Try To Acquire Cognition On Wednesday, Cognition CEO **Scott Wu** took to the social media platform **X** after Bloomberg reported that SpaceX had tried to acquire the company. “This is not true,” Wu said. “Huge respect for the SpaceX team but Cognition is not for sale and we haven’t been talking,” he added. > This is not true. Huge respect for the SpaceX team but Cognition is not for sale and we haven't been talking. https://t.co/U5Y0pPx4Gw > > — Scott Wu (@ScottWu46) August 19, 2026 Musk responded to Wu, backing the CEO’s comments. “What Scott says is accurate,” he said, adding that SpaceX had not held conversations with Cognition about “anything except making sure Grok works well for their needs.” > What Scott says is accurate. > > We haven’t talked with Cognition about anything except making sure Grok works well for their needs. > > — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 19, 2026 **Read Also: Rick Ross Says There’s No Difference Between Starlink on His Private Jet and Internet at Home: ‘The Phone Call Don’t Stop’** Cognition was recently in talks of securing fresh funding, eyeing a $40 billion valuation, as it plans to raise roughly $1 billion in the latest funding round. The company’s last funding round in May valued the company at $26 billion. ## Elon Musk Touts Starship Recovery Musk recently confirmed that the commercial spaceflight giant was recovering the Starship rocket following its 13th flight test from the Indian Ocean near Christmas Island after the rocket spent nearly 24 days at sea. Musk had earlier said that the rocket’s recovery was looking difficult. On the other hand, Musk warned that an Ohio data center project backed by chipmaker **Nvidia Corp** (NASDAQ: NVDA) and intended to support **OpenAI** could take much longer to bring online than expected, after reports emerged that the company was providing a guarantee of up to $105 billion tied to OpenAI’s lease the data center being developed by Japan’s **SoftBank Group** (OTC: SFTBF) (OTC: SFTBY)-owned **SB Energy**. According to Benzinga Edge Rankings, SpaceX provides a favorable price trend in the Short, Medium and Long term. **Price Action**: SPCX shares were down 0.90% to $138.40 during pre-market trading on Thursday. **Read Also: EXCLUSIVE: Ross Gerber Says SPCX Valuation Reflects the ‘Elon Premium,’ But Remains Skeptical of Musk’s Timelines: ‘I Don’t Trust…’** _Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by_ following this link. _Photo courtesy: Shutterstock_ ### Related Stocks - [SPCX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCX.US.md) - [SPCH.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCH.US.md) - [SPCF.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCF.US.md) - [SPAL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPAL.US.md) - [SNK.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SNK.US.md) - [SSPC.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SSPC.US.md) - [SPCU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SPCU.US.md) - [LOFF.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/LOFF.US.md) - [NVDA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVDA.US.md) - [SFTBY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SFTBY.US.md) - [NVD.DE](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NVD.DE.md) ## Related News & Research - [Cognition CEO denies report that SpaceX tried to acquire the startup](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296405115.md) - [Where Will SpaceX Stock Be in One Year? Morgan Stanley Weighs In](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296032718.md) - [Harvard University discloses $2.2B holding in SpaceX, Bloomberg says](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296029750.md) - [SpaceX officially closes its Cursor acquisition](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296004942.md) - ['This Isn't the Time,' Says Investor About SpaceX Stock](https://longbridge.com/en/news/296503573.md)