Tom Lee says SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic IPOs could reshape markets
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Fundstrat’s Tom Lee argues that trillions in new IPO supply from SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI could ultimately be absorbed by underallocated investors.
By James Van Straten, AI Boost|Edited by Jamie Crawley
May 22, 2026, 12:57 p.m. 2 min read
- SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic are all reportedly looking to IPO in the U.S. market.
- Tom Lee estimates the three IPOs could create trillions in post lock-up supply, equivalent to 5% to 6% of the S&P 500’s market capitalization.
- Lee says Wall Street sees tokenisation as a major opportunity because blockchain technology enables instant settlement, 24/7 trading, and borrowing against assets such as real estate and art.
Tom Lee, chairman of Bitmine Immersion Technologies and co-founder of Fundstrat, does not expect the coming wave of mega IPOs to derail markets even if they could eclipse the entire dot-com boom in scale.
Lee recently discussed the potential effect of SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI listing which could unleash trillions of dollars in new equity supply into public markets.
In inflation adjusted terms, Elon Musk’s SpaceX alone could become the second largest IPO ever, seeking a market valuation above $1.5 trillion, behind only Saudi Aramco.
Lee acknowledged concerns about the amount of supply these listings could introduce into public markets, especially after the standard 90-day lock-up periods expire. He noted that SpaceX is likely the most anticipated IPO ever, Lee estimates the three IPOs could generate trillions in supply, equivalent to roughly 5% to 6% of the S&P 500’s total market capitalization.
Despite the scale, Lee does not believe the situation is necessarily outright bearish for the markets. He argues that family offices, pensions, and high net worth investors currently hold historically low allocations to public equities after years of favoring private markets and alternative investments.
There is significant capital available to absorb the liquidity as allocations rotate back toward U.S. public stocks, in Lee’s view.
He also expects many early investors to hedge or borrow against holdings rather than immediately sell and trigger large tax events.
Lee also discussed cryptocurrency’s underperformance against expectations despite growing institutional interest, highlighting how instant settlement and transaction verification are driving Wall Street’s push towards tokenisation, a point he previously made at Consensus Miami 2026.
Furthermore, Lee believes blockchain could provide a neutral framework for identity verification in an AI driven world. Banks are increasingly circling the industry because they recognize the significant revenue opportunities emerging from the convergence of crypto, AI, and finance, he added.
AI Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy.
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