SpaceX IPO Shares to be Listed Today: Can Investors Trust Elon Musk Again As Company Flaunts Its Ambitions for AI And Mars

The world’s most valuable private space company is preparing for what could become the biggest initial public offering (IPO) in history, offering retail investors a chance to own a slice of Elon Musk’s SpaceX for the first time. 

Trading in a portion of SpaceX shares is set to begin on June 12, potentially valuing the company at around $1.75 trillion. The offering has already sparked intense interest among retail and institutional investors, drawn by SpaceX’s dominance in rocket launches, satellite communications and Musk’s ambitious vision of making humanity a multiplanetary species. 

From Rockets to a Trillion-Dollar Valuation 

SpaceX’s rise has been closely tied to a series of engineering breakthroughs, including the successful recovery of its massive Starship rocket booster in October 2024. The achievement reinforced the company’s goal of building fully reusable launch systems capable of dramatically reducing the cost of reaching space. 

SpaceX’s valuation has risen more than 40-fold in six years. 

Today, SpaceX operates one of the world’s most advanced launch businesses and controls Starlink, a rapidly expanding satellite internet network that has played a strategically important role in conflicts such as the war in Ukraine. 

Yet these businesses alone do not fully explain the company’s proposed $1.75 trillion valuation. 

Investors Are Really Betting on AI 

SpaceX would instantly enter the world’s most valuable companies club.

According to its IPO prospectus, SpaceX is positioning itself as much more than a space company. A significant portion of its future growth strategy revolves around artificial intelligence through xAI, Musk’s AI venture, as well as plans for space-based computing infrastructure and advanced data centres. 

The company estimates its total addressable market at $28.5 trillion, with roughly $26.5 trillion linked to AI-related opportunities. This suggests investors are being asked to place a substantial bet on the future growth of artificial intelligence, a sector many believe could reshape the global economy over the coming decades. 

Supporters argue that Musk has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to transform ambitious ideas into commercially successful businesses, citing Tesla’s rise from a niche electric vehicle maker to one of the world’s most valuable companies. 

Questions Over Governance and Valuation 

Not everyone is convinced. 

Investors gain economic exposure but limited influence over decision-making 

Critics point to SpaceX’s reported losses, the enormous valuation attached to the IPO and the concentration of control in Musk’s hands. Although he owns roughly 42% of the company, special voting rights effectively give him control over about 85% of shareholder votes. 

Some analysts argue investors are buying into the Musk brand as much as the underlying business. Others question whether SpaceX’s AI ambitions can justify a valuation that would place it among the world’s most valuable corporations. 

A Defining Moment for Markets 

The IPO is also being viewed as a major test of investor appetite for artificial intelligence-focused companies. Market observers expect other AI giants, including OpenAI and Anthropic, to eventually pursue public listings, potentially bringing trillions of dollars in new equity offerings to the market. 

For supporters, SpaceX represents a rare opportunity to invest in a company operating at the intersection of space exploration, artificial intelligence and global communications. For skeptics, it raises concerns reminiscent of past technology bubbles, where lofty expectations ran ahead of proven profitability. 

Either way, the SpaceX IPO is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched events in financial market history, with implications extending far beyond the future of one company—or even one industry.