The Journal. · The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

The Woman Behind SpaceX

January 22, 2026·20 min·2 clips

How Gwen Shotwell landed SpaceX's $1.6 billion NASA contract that saved the company from collapse.

This episode profiles Gwen Shotwell, the long-time president of SpaceX, exploring her crucial role in the company's success from its early days to its current consideration of a public offering. It details her relationship with Elon Musk, her behind-the-scenes leadership, and how SpaceX's ambitions for AI data centers in space are driving a potential historic IPO.

As heard by us

A sharp business profile of Gwynne Shotwell's day-to-day authority, loyalty, and staying power inside SpaceX.

The Journal uses Gwynne Shotwell to pull SpaceX out of the usual Elon Musk frame and into a more practical business story. Shotwell, president since 2008, is presented as the executive running SpaceX day to day while Musk remains the final authority and the company's defining…

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