Soccer enthusiasts who came to Times Square expecting nothing more than photo opportunities and typical city commotion instead became part of an unexpected financial milestone on Friday – the historic stock market launch of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Groups of World Cup supporters wearing their national team colors, who had traveled to the United States for tournament matches, mixed with financial professionals, sightseers and Musk enthusiasts outside the Nasdaq building. The rocket company’s groundbreaking public offering transformed what would typically be a business event into an atmosphere resembling a sports celebration.
Paul Tracey, a 47-year-old police officer from Scotland visiting New York with companions before traveling to Boston for his team’s opening game against Haiti, expressed surprise at the scene. “We had no idea any of this was happening,” Tracey commented.
“Bit of a bonus. There’s a good buzz about the place,” Tracey remarked about the SpaceX excitement, though he joked he wouldn’t be purchasing shares. “If I had the money maybe but I spent all my money coming here for the World Cup.”
Large displays on the Nasdaq building’s exterior showed Musk’s image as onlookers took photos, discussed the $1.75-trillion company’s prospects and Musk’s achievement of becoming the first trillionaire, while many visitors watched with confusion.
Some spectators were more informed about the financial event. Lucas Honario, 29, a finance worker originally from Brazil and now living in Rhode Island, intentionally visited while traveling to Brazil’s Saturday match against Morocco.
“It’s doing great things in that industry,” Honario said about SpaceX. When asked to choose between supporting Musk or his national team, the five-time World Cup champions, he answered immediately: “I’ll say the Brazil team.”
Brazilian supporters coming from distant locations discovered the scene unexpectedly.
Barbara Althoff, a psychiatrist from southern Brazil who had journeyed through Mexico for the opening ceremony, initially thought the gathering indicated an emergency situation.
“We didn’t know what was happening,” she explained. “For us, it was a surprise.”
After learning about the SpaceX event, she dismissed the financial discussion and concentrated on soccer, confidently forecasting that Brazil would claim a sixth championship.
Mohamed Azdamou, a Boeing employee and Morocco supporter from Seattle, said he wanted to observe the initial trading of Musk’s company before his team’s game against Brazil.
“It’s amazing to see what SpaceX is doing,” he stated, standing beside a friend who had traveled from Morocco for the tournament.
“But we’re really here for the football.”
