Tech

SpaceX is preparing for a record-breaking IPO, valued at $1.77 trillion, aiming to raise $75 billion. The offering, with a fixed price of $135 per share, will allow public investment in the aerospace innovator for the first time. Despite current losses, investors are betting on its ambitious growth, driven by Starlink and its merged xAI division. This IPO could make Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire, with analysts expressing strong confidence in SpaceX’s diversified model and AI capabilities.

Iran has declared Elon Musk’s Middle Eastern ventures, including Starlink, as legitimate military targets in retaliation for U.S. actions. This move, reported by Fars news, escalates geopolitical tensions, potentially creating a new front in cyber and physical warfare. Iran cites alleged U.S. war crimes with Musk’s companies’ assistance as justification, reserving the right to attack related facilities. This threat follows recent U.S.-Iran exchanges and Trump’s warning of severe U.S. retaliation.

DoorDash is integrating advanced AI, including a new chatbot “Ask DoorDash,” to enhance user ordering and reservation experiences. This move mirrors competitors like Uber and Instacart in adopting AI for customer engagement. The company is also consolidating acquired brands onto a unified tech platform and investing heavily in technology, despite recent stock declines.

Jeff Bezos’s AI venture, Prometheus, has raised $12 billion at a $41 billion valuation. Co-led by Bezos and Vik Bajaj, the company is developing AI tools to accelerate physical product design and manufacturing. Significant funding will be allocated to acquiring advanced computing power for training sophisticated AI models. Prometheus aims to tackle complex challenges in engineering, manufacturing, and drug design.

Oracle’s stock fell 8% after announcing a $20 billion capital raise and negative free cash flow, despite strong revenue growth and profit in Q4. The company is heavily investing in AI infrastructure, with capital expenditures soaring and plans for further financing. Analysts remain divided, though some see strong AI-driven growth and a significant partnership with OpenAI for the Stargate project.

Thursday’s market saw a late rally in chip stocks offset geopolitical worries and strong inflation data. The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all gained. SpaceX’s anticipated IPO is a major focus, with analysts predicting significant market influence. Meanwhile, Honeywell is set to split its aerospace and automation businesses, aiming to unlock automation’s vast market potential and drive value creation. Investors are also watching Oracle, Danaher, and Kontoor Brands.

Avalanche Treasury Co. debuts on Nasdaq as AVAT, focusing on dynamic capital deployment within the Avalanche ecosystem rather than simply holding AVAX tokens. This strategic shift aims to offer institutions a regulated entry point into the blockchain, leveraging Avalanche’s enterprise-focused infrastructure and real-world asset tokenization capabilities. The company seeks to generate returns beyond token appreciation by investing in foundational infrastructure and applications, reflecting a maturing crypto treasury landscape.

OpenAI has acquired Ona, a startup specializing in secure AI agent environments. This move enhances OpenAI’s Codex coding assistant, enabling it to handle more complex tasks and streamline agent deployment for organizations. The acquisition bolsters OpenAI’s aggressive growth strategy ahead of its anticipated IPO, signaling a focus on integrating diverse technologies to solidify its market position.

The Trump administration is appealing a federal judge’s ruling that blocked a controversial $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications. The judge found the fee constituted an unauthorized tax, exceeding the executive’s authority. This move highlights a legal conflict over immigration policy and the executive branch’s power to impose significant financial burdens without congressional consent, potentially impacting the H-1B program’s future.

SpaceX’s IPO promises substantial wealth for employees, impacting spending and investment. Anticipated effects include a surge in luxury real estate near operational hubs, particularly in Southern California and the Austin area. Beyond housing, demand for high-performance vehicles and luxury watches is expected to rise. Travel habits will likely shift towards private jet utilization for leisure and business. This wealth influx is poised to stimulate various luxury markets and potentially foster philanthropic efforts, creating a broad economic ripple effect.