The markets woke up to a blockbuster debut as SpaceX opened above $2 trillion, turbocharging AI IPO chatter and sending venture payouts into orbit — Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund turned a tiny stake into a historical windfall (SpaceX IPO, Founders Fund payoff). [P]At the same time, regulators and capital are circling AI players — OpenAI faces a 42-state subpoena that could complicate IPO plans while giants like Alphabet and Broadcom raise tens of billions to build AI infrastructure, and inflation and energy costs are forcing boardrooms to rethink strategy.

SpaceX’s debut made Elon the world's first trillionaire and created instant millionaires among rank-and-file employees, but worker protests over prices and AI job fears underscore growing tensions around big exits (employee windfall, worker unrest). [P]Meanwhile, bootstrapped grit remains alive — from teens buying restaurants to founders like Perplexity’s Aravind Srinivas urging entrepreneurs to treat competitor fear as rocket fuel rather than paralysis (Perplexity lesson), which is the kind of practical courage that actually builds lasting businesses.