One is hitting its numbers; the other keeps missing expectations. One is raising money at an ever-rising valuation; the other has been pummeled by the market. One has a highly capable No. 2 executive keeping it on track; the other is under fire about succession planning.
Space Exploration Technologies and Tesla both count Elon Musk as chief executive officer. But whereas Tesla has withered since the boss embarked on his takeover of Twitter, SpaceX is flourishing — some even suggest that this is because of, rather than in spite of, its CEO playing a less-active role.
SpaceX is preparing for a watershed year, aiming for as many as 100 flights. That pace of one roughly every three and a half days compares with the every-six-days clip the company pulled off in 2022.