SpaceX IPO at $1.77 trillion valuation exposes the contradiction of Musk's war on the government he needs

—SpaceX's stock market debut at a $1.77 trillion valuation is being analyzed as Elon Musk's biggest financial gamble, given the company's deep dependence on government contracts from the very federal agencies Musk has been dismantling through DOGE. The Washington Post frames the IPO as laying bare a central contradiction: SpaceX needs the government that its owner routinely antagonizes. The listing's success may hinge on whether investors believe the government relationship survives Musk's political moves.