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SpaceX IPO: The Long Wait for Public Investors
31 May
Summary
- SpaceX targets an IPO nearly 24 years after its founding.
- Companies now build value in private markets before public listing.
- Public investors access growth later, through proxies and ETFs.
SpaceX is reportedly targeting a public listing nearly 24 years after Elon Musk founded the rocket company. This extended timeline underscores a significant shift in how companies build value, with more development now occurring within private markets.
Historically, companies like Amazon and Apple went public within five years of their founding. More recent tech giants such as Tesla and Meta took seven to eight years. SpaceX's anticipated path places it at the far end of this spectrum, with companies like Palantir and Reddit also waiting well over a decade for their public market entry.
This evolution means the initial public offering (IPO) has become less of a company's beginning and more of a mechanism for early investors and employees to realize gains. Public investors, consequently, often get access to the growth story much later in the cycle, frequently through indirect investment vehicles like ETFs.
