Shaun Maguire, partner at Sequoia Capital, has expressed resounding confidence in SpaceX, calling it a once-in-a-generation company that is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in aerospace.
In a recent conversation with CNBC, Maguire reflected on Sequoia’s high-conviction investment in Elon Musk’s space venture and emphasized its transformative impact on the future of space exploration and satellite technology.
“SpaceX is one of the most important companies in the world,” Maguire said during the interview, highlighting the company’s breakthroughs in rocket reusability, satellite internet, and deep space ambitions.
He noted that SpaceX had surpassed what many in the industry thought achievable within such a short span of time.
For Maguire, the company’s innovation isn’t just about launching rockets – it’s about democratizing access to space and building critical infrastructure for the 21st century.
Sequoia invested in SpaceX in 2020, a time when public sentiment was mixed and some investors were still skeptical about the viability of Musk’s grand visions.
Maguire, however, was convinced. “I believed SpaceX was fundamentally underpriced, underappreciated, and misunderstood,” he said, pointing to the company’s rapid advancements in Starlink and Starship as validation of that belief.
Even today, Maguire believes the company may still be undervalued.
Despite SpaceX’s technological dominance and growing global relevance, he suggested that market assessments might not fully capture the scale of its long-term potential.
“People still don’t grasp how foundational SpaceX will be to the future global economy,” he added.
SpaceX’s speed and ambition is ‘unmatched’
Maguire emphasized that SpaceX’s role extends far beyond the private sector, functioning as a critical piece of national and global infrastructure.
The Starlink satellite network, for instance, has provided secure internet to remote and conflict-affected regions, including parts of Ukraine during wartime disruptions.
This has highlighted the strategic utility of private space infrastructure in geopolitical and humanitarian contexts.
He also praised SpaceX’s ability to iterate quickly and learn from failure – an approach rarely seen in the traditional aerospace sector.
“Most governments take decades to achieve what SpaceX can now do in a few years,” Maguire said, calling the company’s speed and ambition “unmatched”.
SpaceX dubbed a strategic asset for US
Maguire also touched on Elon Musk’s role in shaping SpaceX into what it is today.
While Musk’s polarizing personality often draws headlines, Maguire was quick to defend the entrepreneur’s unconventional style, framing it as a necessary byproduct of building companies that challenge the status quo.
“Elon is one of the most important people alive today,” Maguire stated, acknowledging that while Musk is controversial, his willingness to take enormous personal and financial risks is rare – and often misunderstood.
In SpaceX’s case, that willingness has translated into technological milestones that even governments have struggled to achieve.
Maguire also emphasized that Musk’s leadership has helped SpaceX become not just a successful company, but a strategic asset to the United States and the global space economy.
With the Starlink satellite constellation now offering high-speed internet to underserved regions and Starship aiming to revolutionize interplanetary transport, SpaceX’s ambitions have begun to shift from speculative to foundational.
In Maguire’s view, SpaceX represents not just an extraordinary return on investment but a long-term bet on humanity’s future.
“We’re going to look back on this in 50 years and realize this was a pivotal moment,” he concluded.
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