In the world of high technology and space exploration, an event of unprecedented financial magnitude is on the horizon: the anticipated initial public offering (IPO) of aerospace giant SpaceX. However, for those who dream of making easy money in the space industry, the company’s founder, Elon Musk, has issued a stern and candid warning.
In a recent post on the social media platform X, Musk made it clear that future shareholders shouldn’t expect everything to go smoothly. Although financial returns may prove to be enormous in the long term, the company’s internal policies will be guided by a single goal far removed from traditional economics—transforming humanity into a “multi-planetary” species. This warning should be taken very seriously, as it challenges traditional notions of market investing.
Science fiction instead of dividends
Any investor hoping that, after going public, SpaceX will become a stable corporation paying regular dividends—much like classic telecommunications giants such as AT&T—is sorely mistaken. This company has nothing in common with the conservative capitalism of the mid-20th century or the idealized notions of stability.
Yes, I need to make sure SpaceX stays focused on making life multiplanetary and extending consciousness to the stars, not pandering to someone’s bullshit quarterly earnings bonus!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 15, 2026
Obviously, IF SpaceX succeeds in this absurdly difficult goal, it will be worth many orders of…
The company’s internal philosophy is entirely focused on concepts that, until recently, were considered the exclusive domain of science fiction. During his February address to his team of developers and engineers, Musk outlined a vision for the future of SpaceX that reads more like a page from an Arthur C. Clarke novel. He talked about the deployment of giant space catapults, the construction of astroengineering structures like a Dyson sphere around the Sun to harvest energy, and the development of super-powerful artificial intelligence based on the secret knowledge of lost alien civilizations. If you’re looking for a traditional business with long-term but stable profits, you’ve definitely chosen the wrong company.
Anatomy of absolute control
To ensure the successful implementation of such ambitious plans and avoid pressure from shareholders, SpaceX’s management is implementing an unprecedentedly strict corporate governance system. According to an analysis report by Reuters, the ownership structure following the IPO will be artificially divided into different classes of shares with radically different rights.
Retail investors, pension funds, and users of mass-market brokerage platforms (such as Robinhood) will receive “Class A” shares. Meanwhile, “Class B” shares will remain in the hands of “key stakeholders.” The key trick is that these preferred shares will carry ten times the voting weight, and Musk will control the controlling stake.
This multi-tiered system legally ensures that the CEO and chairman of the board cannot be removed from office against his will. The IPO documents explicitly state that Musk’s dismissal or a change in the board of directors is possible only following a vote by the holders of Class B shares. As Lucian Bebchuk, a corporate governance expert at Harvard University, notes, this situation is an anomaly. Although non-voting shares exist in the market, a board of directors that is completely powerless is an extremely rare occurrence. Thus, by purchasing a stake in the company, investors become nothing more than powerless passengers aboard a ship whose helm is firmly welded to the hands of a single captain.
A universal safeguard against dismissal
Musk makes no secret of this authoritarian approach. Responding to critical articles in the Financial Times about his draconian management style, he explained his position in no uncertain terms: “I need to make sure SpaceX stays focused on making life multiplanetary and extending consciousness to the stars.”
This argument about humanity’s evolutionary leap became his universal defense against any criticism. When politician Bernie Sanders criticized him for his excessive wealth, Musk replied that these resources were being amassed solely to spread the light of consciousness throughout the universe. When European regulators sounded the alarm over the monopolization of the launch market, he stated that the widespread use of reusable rockets was a prerequisite for the survival of humanity. Musk even dismissed the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) allegations of safety violations, emphasizing that their outdated bureaucratic regulations would never allow humanity to reach Mars.
The birth of the first trillionaire
Financial experts are already predicting that the rapid growth in SpaceX’s market capitalization following its initial public offering could propel Elon Musk to a whole new level, pushing his net worth past the $1 trillion mark.
This process reflects a much deeper philosophical transformation of the technology market. Elon Musk openly—and quite successfully—positions himself as the “hero” of humanity’s future, the sole driving force behind space exploration. At the same time, everyone else—regulators, critics, and future minority shareholders—is relegated to the role of extras or non-player characters (NPCs). Do you believe in this division of roles? If so, the door to investing in SpaceX is open, but be prepared for the game to be played exclusively by the creator’s rules.
We previously examined how well Elon Musk’s predictions align with reality.
According to Gizmodo
