Kevin O’Leary says he will wait to buy SpaceX stock after its IPO, watching how Elon Musk’s networked businesses evolve

Kevin O’Leary, the investor known for his role on Shark Tank, said he is not lining up to buy shares of SpaceX immediately after the company’s IPO. In comments reported by Yahoo Finance on Aug. 9, O’Leary said he is watching how the stock trades once the initial post-IPO volatility settles, suggesting any entry would come later rather than at the opening.

O’Leary’s timing focus was straightforward. He indicated that the period right after an IPO can be dominated by sharp price moves and short-term positioning, and he wants to observe whether the market’s early swings stabilize. He framed his approach as a wait-and-see stance rather than a rejection of the underlying opportunity.

Beyond the mechanics of the IPO, O’Leary argued that the bigger investment theme is the potential for SpaceX to become more tightly connected to Elon Musk’s broader “empire.” The reported remarks point to a long-term view in which SpaceX’s growth could be amplified through relationships across Musk’s ventures, rather than through the standalone economics of the launch business alone.

The comments were framed as O’Leary reacting to a new, publicly traded vehicle for exposure to SpaceX, a company long seen as central to Musk’s industrial strategy. While O’Leary did not lay out a specific timetable for when he might start buying, the thrust of his position was that the decision would depend on how the stock performs as trading normalizes after the IPO.

For markets, his stance is another reminder that IPOs do not always convert quickly into immediate follow-through buying, even from well-known investors. In high-profile listings, early liquidity and volatility can attract short-term trading, while longer-horizon investors may prefer to wait for more established pricing and clearer indicates about demand and performance.

Tesla remains an obvious reference point for how investors think about Musk’s ecosystem. Although O’Leary’s remarks centered on SpaceX, his “connected businesses” framing fits a broader pattern in which markets price not only product roadmaps but also the strategic overlap among Musk-led companies. For investors tracking the autos and transportation sector, these linkages can matter because they can influence supply chains, infrastructure needs, and demand for related technologies over time.

Still, what O’Leary did not provide is as important as what he did say. The Yahoo Finance report, as summarized in the provided information, did not include detailed financial expectations, specific target price levels, or a discussion of how he evaluates SpaceX’s valuation relative to peers. It also did not specify whether he was speaking about buying directly in the open market or through any other mechanism.

Going forward, investors will likely watch two things: how SpaceX’s shares behave as early volatility fades, and whether commentary from major stakeholders like O’Leary indicates a broader shift toward longer-horizon participation. Any further details on how SpaceX plans to tie its operations to Musk’s wider portfolio, even at a high level, could also shape how quickly investors convert interest into sustained ownership.