# SpaceX Posts $4.4B Profit as AI Revenue Surges _SpaceX beat Q3 estimates with $14.58B revenue and $4.4B profit as AI and connectivity scaled, Bloomberg Podcasts reported._ **Published:** 2026-10-21 **Source:** https://www.startuphub.ai/ai-news/public-companies/2026/spacex-posts-4-4b-profit-as-ai-revenue-surges --- SpaceX beat on both lines in its second quarter as a public company, posting $14.58 billion in third-quarter revenue against $12.87 billion expected and $4.4 billion in net income against a $1.8 billion estimate, [Bloomberg Podcasts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtyE28ilDI8) reported. **Update, Oct 21, 00:22 UTC** · via [Bloomberg Podcast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZGtutzpu10) Bloomberg Podcasts reported that SpaceX earned "35 cents a share ahead of the estimates, 15 cents a share" on an EPS basis and that "Capital expenditures in the quarter came in at 19.6 billion which was pretty much in line 19.59 instead of 19.6." The outlet noted that "capital expenditures, a big bulk of that gets depreciated over a longer time horizon," explaining how profit outperformed despite high spending. Bloomberg Podcasts also reported that "will when will SpaceX merge with Tesla was question number two by votes" among retail investors ahead of the call and that investor relations did not put that question in front of management last quarter. ![Earnings Special: SpaceX Profit Beats Estimates on Big Jump in AI Revenue | Bloomberg Talks - Bloomberg Podcast](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WZGtutzpu10/maxresdefault.jpg) Earnings Special: SpaceX Profit Beats Estimates on Big Jump in AI Revenue | Bloomberg Talks, Bloomberg Podcast SpaceX Q3 RevenueOutcomebeat estimates with $14.58B revenue, exceeding $12.87B expectedFrom the article 6 mentionsSpaceX beat on both lines in its second quarter as a public company, posting $14.58 billion in third-quarter revenue against $12.87 billion expected and $4.4 billion in net income against a $1.8 billion estimate, Bloomberg Podcasts reported.AI Revenue SurgesCoreFrom the article 3 mentionsConsensus for the AI business was $6.30 billion in revenue, up 146% quarter over quarter from $2.56 billion, per CNBC.droveProfitability BetterEffectFrom the articleBloomberg Intelligence global head George Ferguson said profitability flowed through better than expected in both connectivity and AI, with Starlink showing economies of scale as revenue grew without a matching cost increase, which helps explain the push to buy spectrum for indoor coverage.resulted inSpaceX $4.4B ProfitOutcomeposted $4.4B net income, significantly beating $1.8B estimateFrom the article 5 mentionsThe accounting answers how you spend like that and still double profit.SpaceX Q3 RevenueOutcomebeat estimates with $14.58B revenue, exceeding $12.87B expectedFrom the article 6 mentionsSpaceX beat on both lines in its second quarter as a public company, posting $14.58 billion in third-quarter revenue against $12.87 billion expected and $4.4 billion in net income against a $1.8 billion estimate, Bloomberg Podcasts reported.AI Revenue SurgesCoreFrom the article 3 mentionsConsensus for the AI business was $6.30 billion in revenue, up 146% quarter over quarter from $2.56 billion, per CNBC.Connectivity ScalesCoreFrom the articleBloomberg Intelligence global head George Ferguson said profitability flowed through better than expected in both connectivity and AI, with Starlink showing economies of scale as revenue grew without a matching cost increase, which helps explain the push to buy spectrum for indoor coverage.High CapexContextcapital expenditures of $19.59B essentially in line with expectationsFrom the articleThe reporter Ed Ludlow said the print surprised even with capital expenditures of $19.59 billion essentially in line at $19.6 billion, because most of that capex depreciates over time, and he noted earnings on a per-share basis came in at 35 cents versus 15 cents estimated.Profitability BetterEffectFrom the articleBloomberg Intelligence global head George Ferguson said profitability flowed through better than expected in both connectivity and AI, with Starlink showing economies of scale as revenue grew without a matching cost increase, which helps explain the push to buy spectrum for indoor coverage.resulted inSpaceX $4.4B ProfitOutcomeposted $4.4B net income, significantly beating $1.8B estimateFrom the article 5 mentionsThe accounting answers how you spend like that and still double profit.reflected inEPS BeatOutcomeearnings per share came in at 35 cents versus 15 cents estimatedFrom the articleSpaceX beat on both lines in its second quarter as a public company, posting $14.58 billion in third-quarter revenue against $12.87 billion expected and $4.4 billion in net income against a $1.8 billion estimate, Bloomberg Podcasts reported. The reporter [Ed Ludlow](https://www.startuphub.ai/hardware/gpus/nvidia-s-750b-deals-spark-circular-ai-financing-debate) said the print surprised even with capital expenditures of $19.59 billion essentially in line at $19.6 billion, because most of that capex depreciates over time, and he noted earnings on a per-share basis came in at 35 cents versus 15 cents estimated. Consensus for the AI business was $6.30 billion in revenue, up 146% quarter over quarter from $2.56 billion, per CNBC. The accounting answers how you spend like that and still double profit. ![Earnings Special: SpaceX Profit Beats Estimates on Big Jump in AI Revenue | Bloomberg Tech - Bloomberg Podcast](https://img.youtube.com/vi/GtyE28ilDI8/maxresdefault.jpg) Earnings Special: SpaceX Profit Beats Estimates on Big Jump in AI Revenue | Bloomberg Tech, Bloomberg Podcast Bloomberg Intelligence global head George Ferguson said profitability flowed through better than expected in both connectivity and AI, with Starlink showing economies of scale as revenue grew without a matching cost increase, which helps explain the push to buy spectrum for indoor coverage. That dynamic sits at the center of [spacex ai](https://www.startuphub.ai/ai-news/public-companies/2026/stocks-rise-after-ai-selloff-spacex-ipo-anticipated) and the broader debate around recent [SpaceX earnings](https://www.startuphub.ai/ai-news/public-companies/2026/spacex-posts-4-4b-profit-as-ai-lifts-revenue), and Ferguson flagged direct-to-cell as the next leg, not just dish-based internet. The call also surfaced what was not said. Ludlow said retail investors had upvoted a Tesla merger question to No. 2 ahead of the call and investor relations did not put it to management last quarter either, while [elon musk](https://www.startuphub.ai/ai-news/prediction-markets/2026/prediction-markets-dive-into-sports-elon-musk-and-bitcoin) has said the companies work closely together but declined to discuss a deal on that forum. Separately, Ludlow reported Musk met for about 18 months with administration officials on distributing a [SpaceX](https://www.startuphub.ai/ai-news/ipo-watch/2026/spacex-spcx-earnings-lockup-expiration-2026-08-02) share to every American child via the Trump accounts program, which auto-created about 70 million accounts, covering nearly all 72 to 73 million eligible children by census. Starship is the hinge and I would not underwrite the $26.5 trillion of future addressable markets SpaceX pitched at IPO without it, since orbital data centers and a scaled direct-to-cell constellation both require rapid, fully reusable launch at volume, and the constellation is still building, now above 11,000 satellites from about 10,000 last quarter, with Falcon 9 largely a solved problem. --- Original analysis from [startuphub.ai](https://www.startuphub.ai), the #1 AI startup directory. © StartupHub.ai. All rights reserved. You may not republish this article in full without a license. 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