Elon Musk Calls SoftBank's Masayoshi Son 'Overleveraged' As $16 Billion AI Loan Fuels Debate About Viability Of OpenAI's Stargate Project

Kaustubh Bagalkote

March 02, 2025

Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk criticized SoftBank Group (OTC:SFTBF) CEO Masayoshi Son as “already overleveraged” on Sunday, reigniting concerns about funding for the ambitious Stargate AI project.

What Happened: Musk’s comments on X came in response to reports that SoftBank is in talks to secure a $16 billion loan for AI investments, with an additional $8 billion potentially being sought in early 2026, according to The Information.

The exchange highlights ongoing tensions surrounding Project Stargate, a $500 billion joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle Corp. (NYSE:ORCL), and SoftBank announced by President Donald Trump in January. The initiative aims to build massive AI infrastructure across the United States to maintain technological leadership over China.

Musk has consistently questioned the project’s financial backing. In January, he claimed SoftBank had “well under $10B secured,” adding: “They don’t actually have the money. I have that on good authority.”

Masa is already overleveraged https://t.co/h4YZqmY4Kf
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 2, 2025

See Also: Mark Cuban Was Asked How He’d Invest $100K -- His Answer? Buy Bulk Toothpaste And Soup For The ‘Best Guaranteed Return On Investment’

Why It Matters: The ambitious project has significant market implications. Technology partners including Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT), NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA), and ARM Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM) saw stock gains following the initial announcement.

Project Stargate plans immediate deployment of $100 billion, beginning with a 500,000-square-foot data center in Abilene, Texas, with nine additional facilities planned and potential expansion to 20 locations.

SoftBank’s Son will serve as chairman of the initiative, which OpenAI says will “secure American leadership in AI” while creating “hundreds of thousands of American jobs.”

Read Next:

Charlie Munger Shared Advice For The Young, But It Applies To All: ‘If You’ve Got Anything You Really Want to Do, Don’t Wait Until You’re 93’

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

Recommended

The Next 'Ozempic Moment' Could Be in Heart Disease - Ad

Bitcoin's Pullback Could Be Your Gain - Ad

Retire Comfortably with These New Monthly Income ETFs? - Ad

President Donald Trump has demanded that all air traffic controllers return to work as the nation's aviation system endured another wave of mass flight cancellations, caused by staffing shortages due to the prolonged government shutdown.

Cathie Wood Dumps $2.4 Million Worth Of Tesla Stock, Doubles Down On These AI Stocks

Cathie Wood-led Ark Invest made significant trades involving Tesla, Pony AI, TSMC, and Baidu, highlighting their strategic positioning in tech & AI sectors.

Gold Alert: Extraordinary Upside in One Stock (Not a Miner)

Gold Alert: Extraordinary Upside in One Stock (Not a Miner) - Ad

Gold has hit all-time highs, breaking $4,000 an ounce - but history shows it could be on the verge of its biggest bull run in over half a century... triggered by a likely major event, eerily similar to what happened in the 1970s. (It's NOT inflation or anything you're likely expecting.) Now, a top analyst says you can capture ALL of the upside without touching a risky miner or a boring exchange-traded fund. He sees extraordinary potential gains long term with very little risk.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Buys Blue Chip Stock Near 52-Week Low

Marjorie Taylor Greene is known for buying multiple stocks at a time, based on recent disclosures. A new filing shows one stock bought in November.

December Social Security Payments Might Come Early — But There's a Catch

The Social Security Administration is altering its payment schedule for December.

Copper Is Tight, Silver Is Rising - And This Early Nevada Play Hits the Timing Perfectly

Copper Is Tight, Silver Is Rising - And This Early Nevada Play Hits the Timing Perfectly - Ad

AI, electrification, battery storage, and data centers are pushing copper and silver demand sharply higher, even as supply stays tight. This region in Nevada offers rare multi-metal potential, and a new company has secured land in a district the surging district. It's one of the cleanest timing setups in the sector right now.

Paramount Skydance Stock Climbs After Q3 Report: Here's Why

Here's a look at the Q3 earnings report from Paramount Skydance.

Asian shares are mostly lower despite Wall St rally and a potential end to the US shutdown

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower on Tuesday as the recent rebound fueled by buying of technology shares lost steam.

New Number One Copper Start Alert

New Number One Copper Start Alert - Ad

EVs and AI devour copper. Supply cannot keep up. A Quebec discovery with high grade, infrastructure, and cheap power is funded to drill through the year. Catalysts are lining up. Institutions are circling. Move now while it is still early.

These 8 Democrats voted with Republicans on the government shutdown deal. Here's how they explain it

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic senators — eight in total — faced almost instant blowback from members of their own party as to allow the Senate to move forward on that would reopen the government.

Shutdown to leave mark on US economy from lost paychecks, canceled flights

WASHINGTON (AP) — The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history appears to be nearing an end, but not without leaving a mark on an already-struggling economy.

First Drug to Show Breakthrough Myocarditis Data. Analysts See Potential 7-10x Upside.

First Drug to Show Breakthrough Myocarditis Data. Analysts See Potential 7-10x Upside. - Ad

This biotech just delivered a medical first in myocarditis and has a Phase 3 trial fully funded into 2027. Wall Street targets imply massive revaluation ahead.

Japan's SoftBank says it has sold its shares in Nvidia for $5.8 billion

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese technology company SoftBank Group Corp. said Tuesday that it has sold all the Nvidia Corp. shares that it owned for $5.83 billion, while it reported higher than expected profit in the first half of this fiscal year.

JPMorgan Forecasts Bitcoin Bottom, Anticipates $28.3 Trillion Challenge To Gold By 2026

Analysts at JPMorgan have pinpointed the lowest point of the ongoing Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) price fall and also projected a substantial chall

Nvidia's Plan to Dominate the World of Robotics ...

Nvidia's Plan to Dominate the World of Robotics ... - Ad

Robots just had a coming-out party in Las Vegas. From household helpers to rescue bots, they're now essential-not just novelties. Forbes says it's a $24T opportunity. And Nvidia's CEO says one $7 stock is key to building the world's first trillion-dollar robot.

AT&T reached a $177M data breach settlement. What consumers should know about claiming their money

NEW YORK (AP) — AT&T has reached a combined $177 million settlement over two . And impacted consumers have a little over a month left to file a claim for their chunk of the money.

Silver Soars To Record Highs: It's Up 95% In 2025, The Best Year Since 1979

Silver prices surge over 5% as investors rush to secure metal amid tight supplies and global shortage concerns, driving up stocks and mining equities.

Nevada's Mining Renaissance Is Accelerating - And This Early Opportunity Is Well Positioned

Nevada's Mining Renaissance Is Accelerating - And This Early Opportunity Is Well Positioned - Ad

Nevada's Walker Lane belt has produced 50M+ ounces of gold since the 1800s, and it's waking up again. One of the neighborhood's latest successes just secured over $6M in U.S. support and is up more than 300% YTD. Now a new early-stage explorer has moved in next door.

Cathie Wood Bets Big On These Stocks As Bitcoin, Ethereum Crash —Dumps Instagram Rival

On Tuesday, Cathie Wood-led Ark Invest made significant trades, notably increasing its holdings in Bullish (NYSE:BLSH), Coinbase Glo

Wendy's to close hundreds of US stores in bid to halt falling profit

Wendy’s plans to close hundreds U.S. restaurants over the next few months in an effort to boost its profit.

Urgent Copper Stock With Strong Catalysts

Urgent Copper Stock With Strong Catalysts - Ad

Quebec discovery. Strong grades. Roads and hydro in place. Funding secured for a busy drill calendar. Each assay can build scale and tighten the window for early entries as EVs and data centers pull harder on copper. Do not wait.

Dogecoin Fakes A Rally Then Dumps 3%—But Why?

Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) fell close to 3% on Tuesday, as large holders shifted roughly $32 million worth of DOGE to exchanges, putting sellers back in control.

Sweden promises action against illegal sex doll sales

BERLIN (AP) — The Swedish government promised on Friday to fight the sale of childlike sex dolls online after instances of such commerce had been reported earlier in the country.

The Next 'Ozempic Moment' Could Be in Heart Disease

The Next 'Ozempic Moment' Could Be in Heart Disease - Ad

Just as Ozempic rewrote the obesity playbook, this breakthrough data could transform how we treat inflammatory heart disease. Fully funded. Multiple catalysts. $280B market opportunity.

All 14 victims identified from fiery UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A grandfather and his young granddaughter. An electrician with two young children. A woman standing in line at a scrap metal business.

Trump Asks Sanae Takaichi Not To Provoke China After Japan PM Hinted At Military Action Over Taiwan Invasion

Trump urges Japan's PM not to provoke China over Taiwan. Tensions rise as Japan refuses to retract remarks about possible military action.

Bitcoin's Pullback Could Be Your Gain

Bitcoin's Pullback Could Be Your Gain - Ad

More than 70 cryptos have recently outperformed Bitcoin and it's not the first time. During crypto's last bull market the top 100 coins NOT named Bitcoin went up by 174%. Now the signs show that it's happening again. This could be a chance to strike gold in some far corners of the crypto market.

S&P Calls Tether 'Weak' — Meanwhile It's Buying More Gold Than Central Banks

Tether (CRYPTO: USDT) just got slapped with the lowest possible stability score from S&P G

Dan Ives Calls Nvidia The 'Indisputable Rocky Balboa' Of AI And Gene Munster Agrees As The Jensen Huang-Led Tech Giant Faces Rare November Slump

Despite a rare November stock pullback and rising competition from Google and Broadcom, analysts including Dan Ives and Gene Munster continue to hail Nvidia as the leading force in the AI chip market.

Retire Comfortably with These New Monthly Income ETFs?

Retire Comfortably with These New Monthly Income ETFs? - Ad

Retirement should be freedom, not stress. Yet outdated advice and tiny returns leave many trapped. Kelly G. broke free with a revolutionary income strategy once reserved for the wealthy - hitting her "Freedom Number" faster than she dreamed. You might already have enough too.

Furor over editing of Trump speech sparks 'existential crisis' at the BBC

LONDON (AP) — The of two top bosses over the editing of a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump dealt a huge blow to the broadcaster, which is revered by some in Britain as a national treasure but derided by others as outdated and left-leaning.

Warren Buffett Believes Living A 'Happy Life' Hinges On Being Comfortable With This One Thing His Dad Taught Him

Warren Buffett's father taught him to focus on inner values, not public opinion. Buffett believes that living by your own standards leads to a happy life. He values being true to himself over societal expectations and wealth.

Gold Alert: Extraordinary Upside in One Stock (Not a Miner)

Gold Alert: Extraordinary Upside in One Stock (Not a Miner) - Ad

SMX Is Exploding: Here's Why This Tech Stock Is Up Over 1,000% This Week

Volatility intensified after SMX issued a flurry of press releases framing its technology as a critical solution for global trade security

Apple Announces Major Changes: New iPhone Models and Altered Release Schedule

Apple has announced plans to roll out three new iPhone models within the next three years, marking a major transformation in the history of the device.

Copper Is Tight, Silver Is Rising - And This Early Nevada Play Hits the Timing Perfectly

Copper Is Tight, Silver Is Rising - And This Early Nevada Play Hits the Timing Perfectly - Ad

Everything Funnels Into Nvidia's Earnings

Nvidia is the main event today, but Walmart and the September jobs report will shape the rest of the week.

Cipher Mining Stock Pops As JPMorgan Moves To Overweight

Cipher Mining shares are rising Monday after JPMorgan upgraded the stock to Overweight and raised its price target to $18.

New Number One Copper Start Alert

New Number One Copper Start Alert - Ad

Nokia Secures Multi-Year Pact To Power Telecom Italia's 5G Expansion

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) secures 3-year deal with Telecom Italia (OTC: TIIAY) to expand 5G coverage in Italy using latest equipment.

Trending Now