SpaceX is the biggest IPO ever. These debuts also set records

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk
Manuel Orbegozo | Chip Somodevilla | Reuters
When SpaceX finally debuts on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol SPCX, it will almost certainly set a record as the largest offering ever. By a long shot.
Elon Musk’s reusable rocket maker filed its long-awaited IPO prospectus on Wednesday. The company hasn’t said how much it plans to raise, but it is reportedly aiming to generate about $75 billion in revenue. That’s more than three times the largest U.S. IPO ever. Alibaba’s$22 billion bid in 2014.
The next largest US IPOs VisaRaised approximately $18 billion in 2008 Enel SpA$16.5 billion deal in 1999 and FacebookIts $16 billion debut in 2012.
Investors are counting on SpaceX to breathe new life into the seen IPO market quiet activity Rising inflation and rising interest rates since late 2021 have moved investors away from risk. The ensuing AI boom has propelled OpenAI and Anthropic to extraordinary valuations, but both companies remain private and are likely aiming to go public later this year. OpenAI could file confidentially as soon as this week.
brains It gave Wall Street a chance to get into AI hardware with its Nasdaq listing last week; this was the largest technology offering since then. UberBut the seemingly endless private financing opportunities for companies like Databricks and Stripe have encouraged them to stay away from the public market.
While SpaceX will be looking at numbers never seen before on Wall Street, there have been massive IPOs in the past that have reached double-digit billions. At work The largest IPOs in the USA until today.
Alibaba’s
Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma and chairman Joe Tsai outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, USA, on Friday, September 19, 2014.
Scott Eels | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Chinese technology and e-commerce giant raised $21.8 billion when it debuted on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014; This was the largest IPO in history at the time.
More than a decade after its IPO, Alibaba’s It remains a dominant force in its home country through online retail and cloud computing. But the stock has lost more than half its value since its peak in October 2020, at the height of the Covid outbreak.
Alibaba is also among the businesses that have shrunk with the help of artificial intelligence. Last year, the company cut nearly a third of its workforce as it sold some retail operations. The company is investing in more semiconductor startups to support its AI goals.
Visa
Visa It hit the public market hard in 2008, despite the looming financial crisis. The payments company raised $17.8 billion and shares rose as much as 38%. This was a huge win for many banking giants strained by the housing crash that hurt the rest of the economy.
Visa shares reached a closing high of $373.31 in June and are currently trading around $330.
Enel SpA
When it went public in November 1999, the Italian multinational utility raised nearly $16.5 billion, breaking the record for the largest IPO ever.
Enel SpA It began privatization with an initial public offering, but the Italian government still owns nearly a quarter of the company. Now it plans to expand its scope invest tens of billions Between 2026 and 2028, dollars were spent on increasing renewable energy sources in the United States and Europe. Shares are up nearly 25% in the past year.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks during a remote bell ceremony for the opening of business on May 18, 2012.
Zef Nikolla | Facebook via Bloomberg | Getty Images
More than a decade after its debut in 2012, Mark Zuckerberg’s company still holds the title of the largest bid in history for a US tech company for a little longer. It is now known as: MetaThe company raised nearly $16 billion, instantly placing its market cap at $100 billion.
Facebook set the stage for a series of social media IPOs in the years that followed. Twitter, Snap, on Pinterestand last reddit. Twitter was privatized by Musk in 2022, then renamed X, and then acquired by xAI, which is now owned by SpaceX.
Over the years, Meta has positioned itself as one of the most valuable technology companies in terms of market capitalization, currently valued at approximately $1.5 trillion.
In 2021, Facebook rebranded as Meta as it sets its sights on virtual reality. Last year, the company upped its bets on artificial intelligence by investing over $14 billion in Scale AI and bringing its CEO Alexandr Wang on board.
General Engines
GM CEO Dan Akerson rings the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange as the automaker returns to the U.S. stock market on November 18, 2010
Getty Images
On the automaker’s return to the public market in November 2010, General Engines It raised $15.8 billion. About a year ago, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to its mounting debt burden and overhauled its business after the government offered a massive rescue package.
In 2014, the company appointed Mary Barra as CEO; This marks the first time a woman has held the top position at one of the leading US automakers. It’s been a rocky road, with shares falling below its IPO price several times as the company grappled with slowing demand and failed electric vehicle ventures.
Still, shares have gained 52% in the past year.
German Telecom
European telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom raised more than $13 billion when it debuted on the NYSE in November 1996. This was one of the most famous examples of state-owned privatizations, along with Spain’s Telefónica and British Airways.
The company, which owns a majority stake in US wireless provider T-Mobile, is currently working with Elon Musk and SpaceX’s Starlink on satellite mobile services in 10 European countries, including Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary and Greece.
rivya
A Rivian R1T electric pickup truck during the company’s IPO outside the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021.
BingGuan | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Rivian’s IPO in late 2021 raises $11.9 billion, initial rise values EV maker at more than 2020 ford or GM at the time.
But shares have fallen more than 90% since their peak, partly due to increased overseas competition and slowing demand for EVs.
Rivian recently stepped back from its 2027 profitability target by increasing spending on some autonomous technologies and new vehicles. In March, Uber has invested $1.25 billion in Rivian for up to 50,000 robotaxis over the next five years.
AT&T Wireless
AT&T‘s wireless business generated $10.6 billion in revenue in its April 2000 offering. But the Goldman Sachs-led deal was just the beginning of a multi-step journey.
In 2004, Cingular, a joint venture of SBC Communications and BellSouth, acquired AT&T Wireless. SBC later purchased the original AT&T and adopted the name. Following the new entity’s acquisition of BellSouth in 2007, AT&T Wireless was rebranded as AT&T Mobility, a major subsidiary of AT&T, which is now the third-largest wireless carrier in the United States. Verizon and T-Mobile.
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