Tesla rises as Musk rules out xAI merger, suggests investor vote on investment

** Shares of EV maker Tesla TSLA up ~1% at $317.36 in early trade

** CEO Elon Musk says he does not support a merger between Tesla and his AI startup, xAI, but that he plans to hold a shareholder vote on whether Tesla can invest in xAI

** "If it was up to me, Tesla would have invested in xAI long ago" - Musk says in reply to an X user's post

** Comments follow a Wall Street Journal report on Saturday that Musk's SpaceX will invest $2 bln in xAI

** TSLA set to hold its annual shareholder meeting on November 6, co said last week

** YTD, TSLA stock has slid ~20%, lagging the "Magnificent 7" group of mega-cap tech stocks