SpaceX is often compared to the Dutch East India Company (VOC) because both companies pioneered the attraction of public capital to finance expansion into new frontiers.
In 1602, over 1,100 investors, including merchants and artisans, subscribed to the world's first initial public offering of VOC shares. This company managed to raise 6.4 million guilders to create a maritime trade network stretching from Amsterdam to the East Indies.
A parallel emerged in the space sector: on June 12, 2026, SpaceX conducted the largest IPO in Wall Street history, raising $75 billion at a price of $135 per share, which led to a first-day gain of over 19%. Demand exceeded the available shares by approximately double, and South Africans invested 179 million rand in shares through EasyEquities in just two days.
Although Portuguese fleets reached the East Indies before the Dutch, and governments have been launching rockets since the 1950s, both structures turned to public capital markets for the first time to finance their frontier on an unprecedented scale. The main innovations of the VOC were financial: it introduced limited liability for shareholders and fixed capital for a decade, making tradable shares acceptable in terms of risk and contributing to the creation of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange.
The logic of SpaceX is similar: the Starship program, aiming to launch a rocket every 53 minutes for five years, and the Starlink satellite constellation, which is changing the global communications economy, require enormous amounts of money that exceed the capabilities of even the richest private Silicon Valley syndicates. As in 1602, the public market proved to be the only source of sufficient capital.
The VOC possessed sovereign powers, such as the right to sign treaties with Asian governments, recruit soldiers, wage war, and build forts, effectively acting as a state. Although SpaceX does not have a royal charter, its position approaches a monopoly in practice. In 2025, the company provided about half of all orbital launches globally and over 80% of the world's mass delivered to orbit. Furthermore, SpaceX is the de facto transporter of NASA astronauts: a SpaceX capsule returned two astronauts home after a failed Starliner test flight from Boeing while they were on the International Space Station for 286 days.
The geopolitical significance of Starlink is also evident: the constellation became critical to Ukraine's communication infrastructure shortly after the Russian invasion, and decisions regarding its coverage influenced the course of hostilities, leading to the assertion that Starlink has effectively privatized part of geopolitics. Investors in SpaceX are acquiring not just a technology company, but a stake in a structure with quasi-sovereign capabilities, determining who, where, and under what conditions will be connected.
The VOC was more than just a shipping line; it managed an inter-Asian trade system from Persia to Japan, dealing in spices, textiles, porcelain, and silver, and administering territories. SpaceX has also ceased to be solely a rocket company. In February 2026, it executed the largest merger and acquisition deal in history—acquiring Elon Musk's xAI for $250 billion in stock, integrating the X platform and Grok AI models into the public structure to realize Musk's ambitions of creating orbital data centers. This resulted in a conglomerate combining space, communications, and AI, whose parts mutually reinforce each other, much like the ships, ports, and monopolies of the VOC.
The VOC is one of the few frontier companies whose price record spans two centuries. The first lesson is patience: shareholders waited over seven years for dividends, and the first, in 1610, was paid in mace (spice), not money. Frontier infrastructure yields returns slowly. The second lesson is that the premium for the frontier was real, but earned over decades. Economist Lodewijk Petram calculated an average annual return of 8.69% between 1603 and 1697, significantly higher than the 4-6% paid on Dutch government bonds.
The third lesson is that the premium decreases as the frontier matures. After 1650, the return stabilized at 3.5-4% annually, comparable to bonds, according to historians Jan de Vries and Ad van der Woude. The fourth lesson is that price and reality can diverge. VOC shares reached an historical high in 1720 not due to events in Batavia, but due to speculative frenzy spreading from London. By that time, the company's internal return was already at the level of bonds. (The claim that VOC was once worth 8 trillion dollars in today's money has been refuted by Petram, who showed it was erroneously about 8000 times too high. SpaceX, valued at over $2 trillion, is already much larger in real terms than the VOC, and the comparison concerns the category of enterprise, not its size).
The last and darkest lesson: dominance is not eternal. From 1730, the VOC paid dividends it did not earn, using its own capital. War with Britain ended the process, the state nationalized the company in 1795, and its charter expired on December 31, 1799.
However, there are caveats. The VOC's monopoly was granted and supported by the state and artillery, and its most profitable decades followed brutal violence on the Banda Islands, whereas SpaceX's dominance is commercial and contested. Competitors are actively building strength: the Iris2 constellation from Europe and Amazon Leo, which is heading to South Africa even before receiving Starlink's license there. As TechCentral noted, the largest IPO is also one of the riskiest due to dependence on one person and an unproven software economy.
The comparison is not a stock price forecast. It establishes the asset category being offered to investors: it is not a stake in a product company, but a stake in frontier infrastructure, with all its inherent power, entanglement, and political weight. The history of the VOC shows that such an investment can outperform the market for decades, but the premium disappears when the frontier is conquered, and the price at the height of euphoria may be the least reliable indicator.
OpenAI is planning to introduce an AI-equipped smart speaker in 2027. According to Bloomberg reports, this device would include mechanical components designed to imitate natural movements, in addition to a sophisticated dialogue system.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reported that the company will develop a mobile, screenless device intended to function as a virtual home companion. Although the official reveal is expected later this year, the commercial launch is slated for 2027. Unlike traditional devices, this gadget will not rely on visual interactions on a screen, but rather on its mobility and an enhanced conversation system.
This speaker would be portable and rechargeable, allowing the user to take it from different rooms in the house, such as from the living room to the kitchen, to receive instructions, for example, about a recipe. A notable aspect would be the mechanical elements of the hardware, which would enable autonomous movements, creating the impression that the device has a life of its own.
To ensure fluid communication, the system would use an improved version of GPT-Live, the model responsible for ChatGPT's new voice functionality. This would allow the speaker to listen and speak simultaneously, processing data in real time to adjust tone and maintain a natural cadence in conversations. Additionally, the device could be equipped with cameras and sensors to map the environment and learn about the household routine, with permission to access the owner's digital data, such as emails, to offer personalized services.
OpenAI already shows interest in creating physical devices. To boost this project, the company, under the leadership of Sam Altman, acquired the startup Io, founded by renowned former Apple design chief Jony Ive, for $6.5 billion. The development of this new speaker would involve participation from former iPhone engineers. Currently, OpenAI's new hardware division is overseen by Paul Meade, an executive who was involved in the development of the Vision Pro headset. It is estimated that OpenAI has hired over 400 former Apple employees.
This talent movement has generated a legal dispute. Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and two former engineers, alleging the theft of trade secrets. The accusation maintains that these individuals downloaded confidential files containing technical specifications of unannounced products. The iPhone owner sought a judicial injunction to suspend the progress of the company's hardware department, warning that the current allegations represent only 'the tip of the iceberg'. This process could lead to delays in the projected 2027 launch, despite OpenAI denying the accusations.
The object that astronomers have been observing since 1998 surprised the scientific community by demonstrating signs of cometary activity. Initially classified as an asteroid, 1998 SH2 has been identified as a rare 'dark comet.'
The study showed that some bodies in the Solar System can conceal hard-to-detect characteristics. Typically, comets reveal their presence through a coma and tails formed when sunlight heats the ice on the surface. Gas emission can also act as a small impulse, altering orbits.
So-called 'dark comets' follow a different path: they look like asteroids because they lack visible signs, but they exhibit movement changes similar to those caused by cometary activity.
A study published in Nature Astronomy analyzed 1998 SH2, which was observed for nearly three decades. In August 2025, as it approached Earth, the object was in a position different from what models based solely on gravity predicted. At the end of the same month, the Vikrota Observatory, part of the Southern Observatory for Near-Earth Asteroid Studies Wykrota-Centro de Estudos Astronômicos de Minas Gerais, located in Serra da Piedade, re-detected the body.
Calculations showed that the object was 19 standard deviations away from its expected position. For scientists, this discrepancy indicated additional acceleration, likely caused by gas ejection.
After detecting the trajectory change, the team studied deep images obtained by telescopes in Chile and Hawaii. These recordings captured a faint coma and a narrow tail over 20 arcseconds long. This was the first direct confirmation of cometary activity predicted based on this type of orbital change.
According to the study, dust ejection occurred continuously from late August to September 2025, indicating a process of sublimation—the transition of ice directly from a solid to a gaseous state. Key findings include: 1998 SH2 was previously classified as an asteroid; the body demonstrated acceleration unexplained by gravity; images confirmed the presence of a coma and tail; and this research may help in identifying other dark comets.
Scientists emphasize that 1998 SH2 does not pose an impact threat to Earth in the near future. Nevertheless, the existence of such objects could influence calculations in the field of planetary defense. Identifying these bodies is also important because an object considered an asteroid might possess cometary characteristics, changing assessments of its composition and potential deflection strategies.
Furthermore, the research suggests that an ancient population of dark comets may have contributed to the delivery of water to Earth during the planet's formation. The work published in Nature Astronomy expands knowledge about small bodies in the Solar System and shows that long-term observations can yield unexpected discoveries.
A video that reached over one hundred million views on social media, showing a humanoid robot seemingly attacking individuals in an office in Indonesia, does not represent an artificial intelligence (AI) rebellion. According to the equipment's responsible parties, the images capture a mere 'misunderstanding' resulting from the execution of a previously programmed routine.
The footage was made available on TikTok on July 5th by the profile Joko Prabuwesi, the name given to the humanoid robot, and quickly spread across the internet, leading many users to believe that the device had lost control. In the scenes, several people are seen trying to restrain the robot while it performs movements similar to martial arts techniques. However, the team in charge of the humanoid assures that all the action was part of a demonstration sequence.
The robot's administrators explained that when the equipment was first turned on, it automatically initiated a martial arts routine that had been configured previously. This sequence was mistakenly interpreted as an attack, recorded, and subsequently posted on social media.
The responsible parties emphasized that all movements performed by the robot were planned in advance and are part of a display designed to demonstrate the device's agility, speed, and reaction capability. This humanoid is a G1 model, developed by the Chinese company Unitree, and has the ability to execute complex maneuvers, including martial arts performances. The cost per unit of this robot is about US$ 33 thousand (equivalent to R$ 168 thousand).
Following the video's massive impact, the robot participated in a television program in Indonesia. Before this TV appearance, it posted a video on TikTok apologizing to the employee who was supposedly 'attacked.' During its TV appearance, the humanoid performed a dance and simulated a fight.
Mera Robotics, the Polish company responsible for programming these devices, indicated that the vast attention on social media aligns with the promotion strategy of so-called 'social robot projects.' In this business model, clients acquire the robots and receive support from the company to program them and turn them into digital influencers. Owners create scenarios aimed at generating 'organic visibility' on social platforms.
A spokesperson for Mera Robotics stated: 'A local client or partner can acquire a robot and then work with us on software integration, programming, personality development, content strategy, training, and continuous technical support. The robot itself is just the hardware—the character, interactions, and operating system require a separate development and production process.'
In addition to the robot active in Indonesia, the company maintains three other humanoids in various countries: Edward Warchocki, in Poland; Amir, in Dubai; and Hudson, in the United States. All these robots maintain their own profiles on social media and accumulate thousands of followers. A large part of these robots is used in public events, demonstrations, and marketing campaigns.
Earlier this year, Edward Warchocki also went viral after being filmed chasing wild boars through the streets of Warsaw, Poland. As reported by the BBC, the video exceeded 14 million views on Instagram and showed the humanoid 'scaring' the animals moving through the city. The British broadcaster's report also highlighted that Poland registered more than 100 incidents of wild boars against people in the previous year.
