Two Apple shareholders made it clear Tuesday that they want the company to acquire electric carmaker Tesla.
“I’d like to see you guys buy Tesla,” one Apple shareholder told CEO Tim Cook at a shareholders’ meeting, Business Insider reports. Cook answered with a dodge: “We don’t really have a relationship with Tesla. I’d love Tesla to pick up CarPlay. Was that a good way to avoid the question?”
A second shareholder reportedly chimed in with: “I think there is something about you two companies.” Cook’s second response: “Let me think if there’s another way to do a non-answer.”
Shareholders’ meetings are open to anybody who holds stock in a company, so these two Apple stock owners likely don’t have the power to influence Cook’s decision making. Apple is rumored to be working on an electric car of its own.
Meanwhile, Apple is working on its CarPlay technology, which extends the interface of drivers’ iPhones to their dashboard. The new technology will be available by the end of the year.
Cook later noted to shareholders that all the major auto companies are now on board, but not Tesla. “I’d love Tesla to pick up CarPlay,” he said, according to Coins2Day’s Adam Lashinsky.
The shareholders’ questions come just weeks after Tesla CEO Elon Musk said his company’s market cap could exceed that of Apple in just a decade. At the moment, Apple’s market cap is over $700 billion, while Tesla’s is $24 billion.
Apple posted $18 billion in profit for the first quarter, a 38% increase thanks largely to demand for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Tesla, meanwhile, reported fourth-quarter growth that, while strong, failed to meet Wall Street’s expectations. Revenue was up 55% to $956.7 million, but analysts expected $1.23 billion.
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