Dom Pérignon, Wagyu, and Even Logo Ice Cubes... SpaceX's Lavish Listing Party

[Financial News] Elon Musk's space company SpaceX held a series of lavish celebration events on Wall Street in New York after completing its listing on the U.S. NASDAQ. The appearance of premium liquor, top-grade ingredients, and food decorations bearing the SpaceX logo drew criticism that the events highlighted growing inequality in the U.S. economy.
According to major foreign media reports on the 12th, a string of listing celebration banquets were held that evening on Wall Street, the financial center of New York, after SpaceX's listing was successfully completed.
At a rooftop party hosted by venture investors in Lower Manhattan, guests were served The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Years Old, Dom Pérignon champagne, Don Julio tequila, and A5-grade Wagyu. Ice cubes for cocktails were engraved with SpaceX's "X" logo.
Although the party had only about 30 attendees, the event reportedly cost $30,000, or about 45 million won.
In Midtown Manhattan, JPMorgan Chase, which served as a co-underwriter of SpaceX's Initial Public Offering (IPO), held a separate celebration. Rather than taking place at a typical well-known restaurant, the event was held on the 57th floor, the top level of JPMorgan Chase headquarters.
The venue served cocktails named "The Future Is for Everyone," "Starship," and "Falcon 9." A Tomahawk steak menu engraved with the SpaceX and JPMorgan Chase logos was also prepared.
The desserts carried a space theme, including "Moon Pie," "Space ice cream," and "Cotton Candy Clouds." JPMorgan also screened a video on its digital signage that showed a SpaceX rocket launch on the exterior of its headquarters.
The celebration was reportedly arranged after Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co., personally proposed it to Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, several months earlier.
Although JPMorgan was not the lead underwriter for the IPO, its decision to host the party itself is being interpreted as an effort to publicly highlight its ties with SpaceX. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) described JPMorgan as taking on the role of "party host" for the SpaceX IPO.
Goldman Sachs, the lead underwriter, also held a separate celebration on the night of the 11th, after the offering price was set. On the day of the IPO, it served visitors asteroid-shaped macarons.
However, the festive mood on Wall Street also drew criticism for being disconnected from the realities of the U.S. real economy. With high inflation and high interest rates continuing, critics said the ultra-luxury listing parties stood in stark contrast to the lives of ordinary people facing slower consumption and rising living costs.
Foreign media reported that the celebrations exposed the gap between Wall Street's excitement and the economic anxiety felt by the general public.
A protest criticizing CEO Elon Musk was also held in front of JPMorgan Chase headquarters. The demonstrators targeted Musk, who became the world's first trillionaire, and called for an end to financial policies that favor the wealthy.


jjw@fnnews.com Jeong Ji-woo Reporter