Hundreds Flock to Nasdaq as SpaceX Makes Historic Stock Market Debut

New York, EFE-Hundreds of curious onlookers gathered Friday outside the Nasdaq stock exchange in the iconic Times Square plaza to celebrate the IPO of SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company focused on rocket manufacturing, satellite launches, and artificial intelligence (AI), and to show their support for the billionaire.

The crowd — which watched from the street as SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell rang the Nasdaq opening bell — included Musk fans, tourists, and commuters who stopped to see if they could catch a glimpse of the world’s richest man.

“I think this moment is going to be revolutionary in terms of life changes. In my opinion, Musk and SpaceX are the new Renaissance. I don’t think any company will be able to operate without SpaceX’s services. And I think that’s what Elon is doing today — providing something everyone will have to take advantage of to run their own businesses,” Giovanni Datri told EFE.

French national Damien told EFE he invested in SpaceX “three or four years ago” and that today is a “big celebration” for him.

“I really like the project. They have almost a monopoly on rocket launches in the United States because they do it cheaper and with fewer problems. They were the ones who rescued the two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station last year. And they’ve put 10,000 satellites into orbit, which allows for high-speed internet on airplanes. It’s incredible,” said Damien, who wore a SpaceX shirt beneath his jacket.

Musk chose to ring the opening bell from SpaceX’s headquarters in Brownsville, Texas, where he said he aims to develop the technology needed to turn humanity into a “multiplanetary civilization” and “make it possible for anyone to one day travel to the Moon, Mars, or even beyond the solar system.”

Wall Street has been closely tracking the aerospace company’s debut for days. SpaceX began trading on the Nasdaq today at $135 per share, aiming to raise approximately $75 billion, placing its market capitalization at around $1.77 trillion.

The IPO could make Musk the first person in the world with a trillion-dollar fortune — or it could fail spectacularly, as some analysts have suggested SpaceX is significantly overvalued.

“I think the price is going to increase enormously from $135. It’ll probably close near $200,” Datri predicted.

While everyone who gathered at the Nasdaq on Friday was pro-Musk, the day before a group of activists erected a towering inflatable statue several meters tall in Times Square — depicting a bare-chested, caricatured Musk — as a protest against child pornography and explicit images generated by Grok, the billionaire’s AI tool.

The giant effigy, which drew stares from passersby, was notable for its level of detail, including recreations of Musk’s back blemishes and body hair, along with satirical tattoos. One on his arm featured a heart with the word “ketamine” in the center, while his oversized abdomen bore the phrase in capital letters: “SPACEX’S GROK MAKES AI CHILD PORN.”

Organizers of the campaign, some with their faces covered by bandanas, handed out postcards to onlookers reading “Greetings from Times Square,” featuring a reproduction of the massive Musk figure in the middle of the iconic plaza.

The postcards and signs on display cited a New York Times report alleging that more than 4.4 million images were distributed by Grok over a recent nine-day period, with an estimated 65% of them sexualized or explicit.

By Sarah Yáñez-Richards / EFE