Musk–Morgan Stanley close ties give advantage in SpaceX IPO underwriting competition

Observers have said that Elon Musk and Morgan Stanley's long-standing cooperative relationship could work in Morgan Stanley's favor during a potential SpaceX initial public offering (IPO) process.

According to economic news account Walter Bloomberg on the 19th (local time), Musk has maintained close financial ties with Morgan Stanley across his major businesses, including Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter). As a result, there is an assessment that if SpaceX pursues a listing, Morgan Stanley is likely to be selected as the lead underwriter.

Morgan Stanley played a key role in Tesla's past listing and financing processes, and has continuously participated in major transactions related to Musk's large-scale fundraising. In particular, its strong understanding of Musk's business structure and financial strategy is cited as an advantage.

SpaceX has not yet announced official IPO plans, but is valued as a private company at hundreds of billions of dollars. Market observers also say that if the listing materializes, it could be one of the largest single IPOs in history.

In this context, the trust relationship with Musk and past transaction history could act as important variables in the selection of underwriters. However, it is also noted that the timing and structure of any final listing and the selection of underwriters may vary depending on market conditions and company strategy.