How Founder Control Is Reshaping Public Markets

SpaceX’s record-setting IPO gave public investors access to one of the world’s most valuable companies, but not equal voting rights. CEO Elon Musk holds just over 40% of the company’s...

By Bloomberg Markets · Bloomberg Markets

SpaceX’s record-setting IPO gave public investors access to one of the world’s most valuable companies, but not equal voting rights. CEO Elon Musk holds just over 40% of the company’s equity while controlling more than 80% of the vote. IPO adviser Lise Buyer says dual-class shares can protect founders from short-term market pressure, but Harvard Law School’s Lucian Bebchuk warns that SpaceX’s structure goes much further, raising risks around accountability, succession, conflicts of interest, and shareholder value. Some investors, including Danish pension fund AkademikerPension, have already rejected the stock over what they call “catastrophic governance,” turning SpaceX into a test case for how much control public markets are willing to give superstar founders. (Source: Bloomberg)