What happened Shares of Churchill Capital IV (NYSE: CCIV) have popped today, up by 12% as of 12 p.m. EST, on renewed speculation that Lucid Motors may partner with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). Churchill Capital IV is the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merging with Lucid Motors to take the nascent electric vehicle (EV) maker public. So what Hopes that Lucid would partner with Apple have persisted for a couple of months, due in part to the fact that longtime Apple designer Jony Ive sits on Churchill Capital's operating team. Additionally, Apple has been searching for a manufacturing partner as part of its efforts to enter the auto industry with its oft-rumored Apple Car. Apple has been developing autonomous driving software for several years, while Lucid's advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS), known as DreamDrive, will be capable only of Level 2 functionality initially. Image source: Lucid Motors. The renewed speculation comes following an interview with The Guardian on April 3 in which CEO Peter Rawlinson declined to comment on whether Lucid had been approached by Apple. Investors have noted that the New York Stock Exchange requires that rumors be outright denied if they are false or inaccurate, so some investors are interpreting the lack of a denial as potential evidence of a partnership. Now what It's also worth noting that short-sellers have been pushing down Churchill Capital IV stock over the past month, with data from S3 Partners showing a massive increase in short interest. That increases the possibility of a short squeeze, in which shorts scramble to cover the bearish bets by buying shares. 10 stocks we like better than Churchill Capital Corp IVWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Churchill Capital Corp IV wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of February 24, 2021 Evan Niu, CFA owns shares of Apple, shares and warrants of Churchill Capital Corp IV, and has the following options: long January 2023 $15 calls on Churchill Capital Corp IV and long January 2023 $20 calls on Churchill Capital Corp IV. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source