SpaceX shares fell below $135, the price set by CEO Elon Musk for its June 12 initial public offering. After slipping to $133 on Wednesday afternoon, the stock recovered and occasionally hovered above the IPO price. The decline follows a steady drop since the stock peaked above $200 days after going public. The volatility is partly due to the small float — only 4% of total shares trade on Nasdaq — combined with intense media attention.
The market appears to be sobering up on Musk’s grand vision, part of a broader tech stock downturn. Bonds issued by SpaceX after the IPO are also suffering. A prolonged slump could have wider effects, as SpaceX’s stock is a bellwether for other tech IPOs like Anthropic and OpenAI. As highlighted in a Common Sense Media report on AI risks, overhyped expectations can lead to market mistrust.
Sponsored Protocol
Starship test as a pivotal moment
On Thursday, SpaceX will attempt its first Starship launch since the IPO. The rocket is still in development and prone to failure — following the company’s “fly, fail, fix” approach. This is the first flight after a booster failure in May. As usual, SpaceX plans to let both the booster and upper stage crash into the Gulf of Mexico, simulating a landing. Regardless of success, both parts will explode. The outcome will be closely watched by investors. For context, Apple released its iOS 27 public beta, showing that even established tech giants face market scrutiny.
Sponsored Protocol
According to Wikipedia, SpaceX was founded in 2002 with a mission to reduce space transportation costs. The IPO raised about $86 billion, but now the stock is trading below its offer price, signaling wavering confidence. With Starship’s risky test ahead, further pressure could build. Moreover, Samsung’s recent bloatware additions remind that even hardware giants must manage post-IPO expectations.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/15/spacex-slips-below-its-135-ipo-price-ahead-of-starship-launch
