The SpaceX IPO has a bright side

www.washingtonpost.com

Democracy Dies in Darkness

Opinion

The company may have problems. But it points to what is working in American capitalism.

June 16, 2026 at 6:15 a.m. EDTToday at 6:15 a.m. EDT

SpaceX leadership and guests celebrate at the Nasdaq MarketSite on the day of SpaceX's initial public offering in New York City on June 12. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

By

Zachary Karabell is an author and investor and writes “The Edgy Optimist” on Substack.

SpaceX raised $85.7 billion in the biggest-ever initial public offering, and its market cap exceeded $2 trillion by the end of the day on Friday. Elon Musk became, on paper, the world’s first trillionaire. But concerns about the IPO poured in before the opening bell even started ringing.