In a move that surprised absolutely no one who has been paying attention, SpaceX has listed on the Nasdaq with a valuation of $2.2 trillion, making Elon Musk the world's first trillionaire. Because apparently, being the richest person on Earth wasn't enough - he had to redefine what "rich" even means.

The company's public valuation has turned many of its past and current employees into millionaires and generated around $85 billion for SpaceX. Musk says this money is essential for building bases on the Moon, putting data centres into orbit, and sending humans to Mars. Ambitious plans, assuming the laws of physics and the whims of the market cooperate.

But what happens if those plans remain unfulfilled? That's the question Justin Webb and New York Times investigative tech reporter Ryan Mac explore in this episode of Americast. As more AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic prepare to follow SpaceX's lead, the duo asks whether America is gambling on the promise of AI - and whether the US economy is becoming dangerously reliant on one industry.

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