Who Will Be Able to Buy Shares in Elon Musk’s SpaceX?

For the first time, investors will be able to buy shares in SpaceX, Elon Musk’s Texas-based space company. The public offering is expected to be the largest ever and to make SpaceX one of the 10 largest publicly traded companies in the United States.

A large portion of the shares will be offered to private investors, but many investment funds are also expected to buy a significant stake. The initial public offering, or IPO, is intended to raise at least $75 billion and will allow investors to enter a business whose activities range from space research and satellite communications to the X social media platform and the Grok artificial intelligence platform. The funds will be used to expand existing operations and finance future ventures, such as asteroid mining and colonizing Mars.

SpaceX, whose value is estimated at about $1.75 trillion, says it plans to establish artificial intelligence data centers in space and colonize Mars in order to prevent humanity from suffering “a fate similar to that of the dinosaurs.” Despite skepticism about the feasibility of some of these ambitions, Musk’s supporters say he has already shown in the past that he can overcome doubters.

However, the offering document reveals that the company has a “history of net losses” and that it “may not achieve profitability in the future.” Last year, SpaceX posted revenue of $18.6 billion but recorded a net loss of $4.9 billion. Analysts say the company will need to significantly increase its revenue to justify its current valuation.

Despite the IPO, Elon Musk will retain more than 80% of the voting power in the company, allowing him to continue determining the company’s strategy and the identity of its managers. That has raised questions, given his unusual management style and the number of businesses he runs. Still, some investors say Musk’s personal reputation is precisely what makes SpaceX attractive.