SpaceX’s Real Crown Jewel Isn’t Starlink or AI (ft. Julie Zhu)

Julie Zhu, a research analyst at MoffettNathanson and co-author of a 93-page deep dive on SpaceX, joins Zaid to break down the company’s biggest opportunities and risks. Julie explains why SpaceX’s launch business, not Starlink or AI, may still be the company’s true crown jewel. They discuss the limits of Starlink’s broadband and mobile ambitions, the economics of orbital data centers, and whether today’s AI infrastructure demand can support SpaceX’s aggressive spending. Julie also breaks down MoffettNathanson’s $131 price target and how the firm thinks about hundreds of billions of dollars in potential “unknown unknowns.” They wrap with the biggest question hanging over the company: whether SpaceX and Tesla could eventually end up under one roof.