SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell said she was previously uncertain about the company going public; however, now she believes “it actually feels like the right time.”
In an interview with CNBC, Gwynne Shotwell underscored the company’s readiness for the public market following years of focus on long-term innovation over quarterly earnings.
The Elon-Musk owned tech and space enterprise launched on the Nasdaq following a record $75 billion IPO at a valuation of $1.77 trillion.
Shotwell emphasised that while the company was built to operate privately, significantly increasing demand from the employees and investors helped shape the decision to list.
She called the enterprise more than a rocket company, pointing to its diversification into satellite internet via Starlink and AI infrastructure via xAI.
Moreover, SpaceX aims to develop the AI-Powered data centers and semiconductor projects incorporating space and AI technologies into a unified ecosystem.
Despite strong investor enthusiasm, analysts have questioned the high valuation and ambitious growth assumptions.
Shotwell defended the long-term strategy, saying that SpaceX focuses on “futuristic” goals instead of short-term financial performance.
Much of the company’s future depends on Starship, its next-generation reusable rocket designed to dramatically minimise launch costs and allow missions to Mars and orbital computing infrastructure.
She added that SpaceX’s mission remains the same: advancing space technology while diversifying global connectivity, even as it enters a new era of public market scrutiny.
