埃隆·马斯克本周提出的特斯拉与SpaceX合并可能会引发反垄断问题吗？一位前司法部官员向《semafor》表示，风险是真实的。
Could the Tesla-SpaceX merger that Elon Musk floated this week pose antitrust problems? One former Justice Department official told Semafor that the risks are real.
这位官员称，反垄断监管机构认为此类“垂直”合并有利于竞争——因为它们可以提高供应链效率——但如果特斯拉与SpaceX被认为可能构成“垂直封锁”，监管机构可能会试图阻止合并。这位官员解释说，当一家公司利用其地位限制在供应链另一层面运营的竞争对手时，就会出现封锁情况；在这种情况下，如果未来只有特斯拉汽车能够使用星链等SpaceX技术，其他无人驾驶或电动汽车公司可能会受到不利影响。
Antitrust regulators view such “vertical” mergers as pro-competition, the official said — because they can make supply chains more efficient — but could try to stop the merger if Tesla-SpaceX gets deemed a possible “vertical foreclosure.”A foreclosure situation arises when a firm uses its position to restrict competitors operating at another level of its supply chain, the official explained; in this case, other driverless or electric car companies could stand to lose out if, in the future, only Tesla cars got access to SpaceX technology like Starlink.
当然，这取决于目前仍属假设的交易条款。这也取决于亲特朗普的美国反垄断执法人员希望与作为共和党主要捐款人的马斯克产生多少冲突。
Of course, that depends on the terms of the still-hypothetical deal. It also depends on how much Trump-aligned US antitrust enforcers want to clash with Musk, a major Republican donor.
即便如此，如果民主党人在下个月夺回众议院，马斯克将面临国会调查——议员们将仔细审查任何合并其公司的尝试。
Even so, should Democrats take back the House next month, Musk would face congressional investigations — and lawmakers would closely scrutinize any attempts to merge his companies.
“如果埃隆·马斯克推进特斯拉与SpaceX的合并，这笔交易将带来真正的风险，全球的反垄断执法人员都会对其进行审查，”新泽西州民主党参议员科里·布克告诉路透社。“当一个人控制着政府和军队所依赖的基础设施时，他的商业决策也就成为了国家安全决策。”路透社报道称，由于星链技术被用于外国冲突且该公司与五角大楼存在合作关系，特斯拉在中国的业务也可能会使事情变得复杂。
“If Elon Musk moves forward with the merger of Tesla and SpaceX, the deal would carry real risks that antitrust enforcers across the world would scrutinize,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., told Reuters. “When one person controls the infrastructure that governments and militaries depend on, his business decisions become national security decisions, too.”Reuters reported that Tesla’s work in China could also complicate things, as Starlink technology is used in foreign conflicts and the company has a relationship with the Pentagon.
任何特斯拉与SpaceX的合并也可能因其对海外汽车、人工智能和航空航天产业的影响而受到全球反垄断执法人员的审查。
Any Tesla-SpaceX merger could also get examined by global antitrust enforcers for its impacts on overseas auto, AI, and aerospace industries.