SpaceX IPO Closes Up 19%, Musk First Trillionaire
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- SpaceX closed up 19% at $160.95 in its Nasdaq debut, reaching a ~$2.1T market value after opening at $150 (11% above its $135 IPO price).
- Elon Musk became the world's first trillionaire as SpaceX shares surged on day one of trading.
- SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell hinted at a possible Tesla merger the same day as the IPO debut, per TechCrunch.
- Rocket Lab stock plummeted on the same day, with Motley Fool covering the decline.
- Nikkei Asia flagged an 'Asia problem' for SpaceX even amid the record-setting debut.
- Coverage split sharply: Forbes and Business Insider framed the debut as historic, while Paul Krugman called Musk a 'Human Ponzi Scheme' and The Verge ran 'The world's first trillionaire is a killer.'
Why it matters: SpaceX's ~$2.1T debut valuation is among the largest IPO market values ever, instantly vaulting Musk into trillionaire territory and making the newly public company worth more than all but a handful of firms on earth. The Shotwell/Tesla merger hint suggests SpaceX's standalone public life may be short.
