These were just corporate bonds, though, and corporate bonds don't work that way. A corporate bond is a simple agreement: you give me $X now, I give you back $X

These were just corporate bonds, though, and corporate bonds don't work that way. A corporate bond is a simple agreement: you give me $X now, I give you back $X + interest when the bond matures. They're a way for a company to borrow money, nothing more. If SpaceX managed to get extraordinary concessions for its bond purchase, like some kind of exclusivity agreement, that would raise even more questions -- like, why does one of Elon's other companies get special perks for buying Solar City bonds that the non-Elon-connected buyer doesn't?