Following the massive IPO of SpaceX, valued at $1.77tn, the company plans to use the funds to finance its artificial intelligence (AI) ambitions, including blasting datacentres into orbit. This move has raised concerns among Americans, with eight in 10 reporting concern over the impact of AI on their futures, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll. The poll found that more than half of Americans think AI will do more harm than good in their daily lives, and seven out of 10 believe it will reduce the number of available jobs.
As a result of the IPO, AI shares will become a standard component of US retirement plans and investments, potentially affecting UK savers and investors. Even investors who do not directly purchase SpaceX shares will end up owning a portion of the company through their 401(k) retirement plans or market index funds. This is because index funds are forced to buy AI shares in proportion to their weighting in stock indices like the Nasdaq and the S&P.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq has changed its rules to fast-track the listing of behemoths like SpaceX, while the FTSE Russell has eased the entry of megacaps to its US indices. However, Standard & Poor's is sticking to its rules, which means SpaceX will have to post a profit, make a minimum set of shares available to the public, and wait about a year to get onto the S&P 500.
Once SpaceX joins the S&P 500, it could give the company a 1.5% share of the index's market capitalization of over $60tn, forcing index funds to plow hundreds of billions into Elon Musk's gambit to become the world's first trillionaire. This raises concerns over the concentration of wealth in the hands of tech billionaires and the potential risks associated with investing in high-risk tech companies.