Investing.com-- Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) is marketing a $5 billion debt package for Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence venture xAI, amid rising political friction between the billionaire and U.S. President Donald Trump, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The offering includes bonds and two loans, with one floating-rate term loan B being pitched at 97 cents on the dollar and priced at 700 basis points above the SOFR benchmark. Another option combines fixed-rate bonds and loans yielding 12%, according to the Reuters report.
In a notable departure from Musk’s 2022 Twitter acquisition financing, Morgan Stanley is taking a “best efforts” approach, declining to commit its own capital or guarantee deal volume, the report said.
This reflects a more cautious stance from lenders after they were forced to hold $13 billion in debt from the X deal for over two years amid tightening Fed policy, it added.
Investor demand could be affected by Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO’s recent public fallout with Trump, which may impact federal contracts or political goodwill. Still, enthusiasm around artificial intelligence and Musk’s track record is fueling interest, according to the Reuters report.
xAI is also reportedly seeking $20 billion in equity funding at a valuation between $120 billion and $200 billion, the report added. Neither xAI nor Morgan Stanley has commented publicly on the deal.