SpaceX sets aside up to 5% of shares in IPO for certain employees and friends

The offering is expected to bring in a record sum, in the range of $75 billion, after SpaceX was valued earlier this year at $1.25 trillion by Musk, when he merged the company with xAI, his artificial intelligence startup. Only two tech companies — Facebook and Alibaba — have been valued at even $100 billion after their first day of trading on U.S. exchanges.

Through direct share programs, companies can set aside a certain portion of the offering to employees, customers and even friends. SpaceX said in its filing that participants would be “selected based on the discretion of our executive officers” and that the stock would not be subject to lock-up restrictions.

The provision allows certain individuals to reap the kind of benefits that are mostly accrued by large money managers with close relationships to their IPO underwriters.

Companies including Airbnb, Uber and Rivian have included direct share programs in their offerings. And when Musk led Tesla through the IPO process in 2010, his electric vehicle maker included up to 1.28 million shares of the 13.3 million it sold in the IPO for “sale to business associates, directors, employees and friends and family members of our employees and Tesla customers who have received delivery of a Tesla Roadster from Tesla,” according to its prospectus.

SpaceX’s roadshow could start this week, with the company potentially debuting on the Nasdaq as soon as June 12. Goldman Sachs has coveted the lead left position for the offering, followed by Morgan Stanley. However, Morgan Stanley is administering the direct share program, the prospectus says.

WATCH: Ross Gerber on the impending SpaceX IPO