He may not be a SpaceX rocket, but Musk’s trajectory has launched into orbit — propelled by his deepening ties to Donald Trump’s administration. As the world’s richest man cements his role in reshaping US governance, a flurry of finance, tech, and aerospace firms have accelerated deals with his companies, blending business strategy with political calculus.

• Following Trump’s win, VisaV
  announced a deal with X, while JPMorganJPM
  dropped a long-standing $162M lawsuit against TeslaTSLA
  — signaling Wall Street’s goodwill as Morgan StanleyMS
  began trading $3B in debt tied to Musk’s empire.
• Tech elites like AmazonAMZN
  ramped ad spending on X tenfold, AppleAAPL
  enabled Starlink connectivity for T-Mobile users, and even United AirlinesUAL
  fast-tracked Starlink WiFi — with some of these executives seen rubbing shoulders with Musk at Trump’s inauguration.

Art of the deal 2.0: Musk’s near-constant involvement in AI, defense, and economic policy discussions (FT) has led companies to accelerate partnerships for potential political advantages, according to a management professor at Arizona State University. On the contrary, a Washington lobbyist cautioned that delaying deals with Musk could invite retribution — signaling that the line between innovation and influence in Musk’s orbit is as thin as the atmosphere his rockets breach.