The extra investment would help prevent any dilution of the sovereign wealth fund’s stake in SpaceX when the company goes public, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

SpaceX, known for its rocket launches and Starlink satellite internet service, is aiming to raise a record $75 billion when public trading begins. That would shatter the previous mark set by Saudi Aramco, which raised $29.4 billion when it went public in 2019.

SpaceX is aiming to raise about $75 billion. Getty Images

The talks with the Saudi PIF are part of SpaceX’s efforts to line up anchor investors ahead of the debut — or backers who commit to fixed purchase of shares before the IPO roadshow.

Representatives for SpaceX and PIF did not immediately return The Post’s request for comment.

SpaceX confidentially filed for an IPO earlier this week, Bloomberg reported. It is said to be targeting a valuation of more than $2 trillion.

Previous reports said the famously eccentric Musk was eyeing a mid-June date for the IPO, to coincide with his birthday as well as a rare planetary alignment in which Jupiter and Venus will be in “conjunction” for the first time in three years. Musk turns 55 on June 28.

The potential investment would help protect the Saudi PIF’s stake from dilution. AFP via Getty Images

Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley are all expected to take leading roles in the IPO.

In February, Musk revealed that SpaceX was merging with his artificial intelligence firm xAI, best known as the creator of the Grok chatbot. The billionaire has floated the concept of building AI data centers in space to support his ambitions in the sector.

XAI rivals Anthropic and OpenAI are each reportedly planning to go public in the near future.

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Amodei has been holding discussions with Emil Michael, the War Department’s undersecretary for research and engineering as part of a “last-ditch effort” to reach a contract governing the military’s use of the company’s AI models, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

Talks have reportedly resumed just days after Amodei circulated a 1,600-word memo to staff that accused rival OpenAI of concocting “just straight up lies” about its disputes with the Pentagon over surveillance and autonomous weapons.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said his company’s clash with the Pentagon stems partly from its refusal to offer “dictator-style praise” to President Trump. AFP via Getty Images

The Anthropic boss also told employees in the Friday memo he believes the administration’s animus stems from the fact that he declined to “donate to Trump,” tech news site The Information reported earlier.

“The real reasons DoW and the Trump admin do not like us is that we haven’t donated to Trump (while OpenAI/Greg have donated a lot)…” Amodei wrote, referencing Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president and co-founder.

A deal would allow the Pentagon to continue using Anthropic’s technology and could help the company avoid being formally designated a “supply chain risk,” a step threatened by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that would force firms in the military supply chain to cut ties with the startup.

Hegseth has yet to make the designation.

Amodei, who donated to failed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, blasted what he described as dishonest messaging from OpenAI and the Pentagon, writing in the memo: “I want to be very clear on the messaging that is coming from OpenAI, and the mendacious nature of it.”

He added that “a lot of OpenAI and DoW messaging just straight up lies about these issues or tries to confuse them,” and insisted that “it is false that ‘OpenAI’s terms were offered to us and we rejected them.’”

President Trump ordered federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s AI after a dispute over military safeguards. The White House/AFP via Getty Images

The memo was sent just as OpenAI announced it would provide AI services to the Pentagon following the breakdown of negotiations between Anthropic and the Trump administration.

The administration ordered all federal agencies to halt use of Anthropic’s services — prompting defense contractor Lockheed Martin to follow suit.

Amodei, who has been urged by investors to make peace with the Trump administration, also took aim at OpenAI’s approach to military safeguards, claiming the company’s Pentagon deal relies on protections that are “maybe 20% real and 80% safety theater.”

OpenAI’s Sam Altman moved quickly to strike a Pentagon AI deal after the Trump administration cut ties with rival Anthropic. Getty Images

He argued the Pentagon rejected stronger safeguards proposed by Anthropic while accepting weaker ones from OpenAI.

The Anthropic boss also accused OpenAI CEO Sam Altman of trying to undercut his company while striking his own Pentagon deal, writing that Altman was “presenting himself as someone who wants to ‘set the same contract for everyone in the industry’” while “behind the scenes” working with the Department of War to replace Anthropic “the instant we are designated a supply chain risk.”

The talks follow a heated breakdown in negotiations between Amodei and Pentagon officials over language Anthropic wanted included in the contract to block the use of its AI for mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth threatened to designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” after talks over AI safeguards collapsed. Getty Images

Meanwhile, OpenAI is scrambling to add language in its contract with the Pentagon that would imposed additional safeguards designed to prevent the use of its technology to spy on American citizens, according to the FT.

The ChatGPT maker has already revised contract language to prohibit “intentional,” “deliberate” or “targeted” surveillance of US citizens and is working to add further protections during a three-month implementation period, according to people familiar with the talks.

The effort comes after rival Anthropic refused to accept similar contract terms over concerns about domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons, prompting the Pentagon to pursue an agreement with OpenAI instead, the FT reported.

The Post has sought comment from the White House, OpenAI, Anthropic and the Department of War.

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Paramount last week sweetened its $30 per share all-cash offer with an agreement to pay the $2.8 billion termination fee to Netflix, as well as a “ticking fee” for WBD shareholders worth $650 million.

WBD said Tuesday that a Paramount representative implied the company was also willing to up its offer to $31 a share if Warner engaged in meaningful deal talks – after previously accusing the company of not giving PSKY a fair chance against Netflix.

Warner Bros. Discovery announced it’ll restart talks with Paramount Skydance over a merger. REUTERS

In a statement Tuesday, Netflix said it has granted WBD a seven-day waiver to allow them to engage with Paramount Skydance.  

“This does not change the fact that we have the only signed, board-recommended agreement with WBD, and ours is the only certain path to delivering value to WBD’s stockholders,” Netflix added.

In December, Netflix agreed to pay $27.75 a share in cash in a deal worth $72 billion to acquire WBD’s studio and streaming business – potentially creating a Hollywood mammoth that owns everything from “Stranger Things” to the “Harry Potter” franchise.

Warner Bros. said Tuesday it still favors the Netflix deal, adding that it will hold a shareholder vote on the offer on March 20. In the meantime, Netflix has the right to match any offer from competing bidders. 

Paramount Skydance has made numerous bids to buy Warner Bros Discovery. Getty Images

“We continue to believe the Netflix merger is in the best interests of WBD shareholders due to the tremendous value it provides, our clear path to achieve regulatory approval and the transaction’s protections for shareholders against downside risk,” WBD Chairman Samuel A. Di Piazza Jr. said in a statement.

But confidence is growing inside Paramount that WBD will ultimately jettison the Netflix deal over concerns it will face insurmountable regulatory scrutiny, while also questioning the valuation of the offer, The Post reported earlier this week.

Meanwhile, activist investor Ancora Holdings – which has built a nearly $200 million stake in Warner Bros. – plans to oppose the Netflix deal, arguing the board did not sufficiently engage with Paramount, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Netflix offered a deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. Getty Images

Paramount did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.

While Paramount is seeking to acquire the entirety of Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix’s deal hinges on the successful spin-off of Discovery Global, which includes cable assets like CNN, Discovery, TNT, TLC and Cartoon Network.

Paramount has argued that Versant, a flopped spin-off of NBCUniversal cable assets including CNBC and MS NOW, should act as a cautionary tale for WBD investors – claiming Discovery Global could be virtually worthless.

The company made several unsolicited offers for the entirety of WBD last year and accused the company of holding an unfair bidding process that unjustifiably favored Netflix.

Netflix on Tuesday slammed Paramount’s efforts as “antics” that amounted to an “ongoing distraction” for WBD shareholders.

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The luxury retailer missed a $100 million interest payment due Dec. 30 and is negotiating a forbearance with creditors to buy time for a financing deal or reorganization plan, the report said.

Saks Global missed a $100 million interest payment last week. Getty Images

Saks Global did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

Bondholders have discussed a debtor-in-possession loan structure that could include at least $750 million in new money and a roll-up of existing debt to allow the New York-based company to continue operating after it files for bankruptcy, the Bloomberg report added.

Bondholders have discussed a loan structure and a roll-up of existing debt to allow Saksto continue operating after it files for bankruptcy. AFP via Getty Images

Marc Metrick last week stepped down as chief executive of the company and Richard Baker was named as his successor.

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The deal would hike xAI’s valuation to $230 billion, people familiar with the plans told the Wall Street Journal.

That’s a strong jump from the $113 billion valuation that xAI disclosed after it acquired Musk’s social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in March. 

Elon Musk’s firm, xAI, is reportedly in advanced talks to raise $15 billion in new equity. REUTERS

Asked for comment, xAI told The Post, “Legacy Media Lies,” in what appeared to be an automated response.

Musk’s wealth manager, Jared Birchall, shared the new fundraising terms with investors on Tuesday night, sources told the Journal.

The outlet reported that it could not be determined whether the new valuation reflects xAI’s worth before or after the $15 billion fundraising round.

Just last week, Musk blasted a CNBC report about the funding round as “false.” 

The outlet claimed xAI had added $5 billion to a $10 billion round it had reported on two months ago, citing anonymous sources.

That $10 billion round valued the company at $200 billion, CNBC reported in September. Musk previously called that report wrong, too.

Musk’s AI startup, which was founded in July 2023, has raised billions of dollars as it races to build out massive data centers to compete with rivals like OpenAI.

In June, the firm raised $5 billion in equity and $5 billion in debt to help build out its planned Colossus supercomputer in Memphis, Tenn.

Demonstrators protest against xAI’s data center in Memphis, Tennessee on October 4, 2025. Jaysun Silver/Shutterstock

Musk’s space company, SpaceX, invested $2 billion as part of that funding round, according to the Journal.

It has sparked some controversies along the way, with environmentalists blasting xAI’s use of natural gas-burning turbines, arguing they worsen the surrounding area’s air quality.

Some critics have also accused his Grok chatbot and Grokipedia – Musk’s AI-powered alternative to Wikipedia – of bias, though others have praised the site for taking a more neutral stance than lefty Wikipedia.

The deal would hike xAI’s valuation to $230 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. AP

Lately, Musk has been focused on integrating his many business ventures, pushing for Tesla to invest in xAI.

At a recent shareholder meeting, Tesla investors failed to approve a measure to allow the electric-vehicle maker to invest in xAI. It is now up to the board to decide whether Tesla should back xAI.

Some newer Tesla models feature xAI’s Grok chatbot in their “infotainment” systems. The AI firm, meanwhile, has purchased tens of millions of dollars worth of Tesla’s battery energy storage systems for use in its data centers.

Tesla investors recently passed Musk’s $1 trillion pay package after he threatened to leave if he didn’t get it.

It’s the largest pay plan on record and could make Musk, already the world’s richest person, the first trillionaire – though he will have to hit a series of ambitious goals over the next decade to earn the total sum.

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Japan’s top tariff negotiator abruptly canceled a US trip on Thursday over unspecified “points that need to be discussed at the administrative level,” the top government spokesperson said, as the two sides try to hammer out details of a July agreement on a reduced 15% tariff on US imports from Japan.

The Nikkei, citing Japanese government officials it did not identify, said a revised order from President Donald Trump included a commitment for Japan to buy more American rice.

The Trump administration requested that Japan buy more US rice. AP

One official criticized the proposal as an “interference in domestic affairs,” the business daily said.

The office of negotiator Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s minister for economic policy, and the agriculture and foreign ministries, as well as the US embassy could not be reached for comment on the report outside business hours.

The Nikkei said the new demand contradicted an agreement that Japan would not need to lower its tariffs on agricultural imports.

In the July deal, the White House said Japan would boost US rice purchases by 75%.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said the share of US rice imports might increase under an existing tariff-free framework but that the agreement did “not sacrifice” Japanese agriculture.

Akazawa’s trip was meant to finalize Japan’s agreement to a $550 billion package of US.-bound investment through government-backed loans and guarantees, the contents of which remain obscure.

The Trump administration’s rice request snagged trade talks with Japan, according to a report. REUTERS

Japanese farmer Isamu Iwai started harvesting rice on his farm, located east of Tokyo, last week. FRANCK ROBICHON/EPA/Shutterstock

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Japanese officials have repeatedly said they want an amended presidential executive order – removing overlapping tariffs on Japanese goods – before releasing a joint document on the investment details.

Opposition leader Yuichiro Tamaki on Saturday questioned the government’s competence and transparency on the trade deal, posting on X that the confusion highlights the danger of operating without a formal text of the deal.

“Because there is no written agreement, we cannot confirm what the problem is,” said Tamaki, head of the Democratic Party for the People.

Citing “heightened uncertainty” for Japan’s auto industry and its workers, he urged Ishiba to swiftly convene parliament and provide a full explanation, saying any new agricultural concessions would require legislative approval.

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