My guide to the IPOs of SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic — including the one I really want to buy

A couple of years ago, I hit it big at the ponies in an obscure northern track. I met one of the executives there. We took some swell pictures and we now exchange holiday greetings. Out of character, I received a text from him this week. He wants to buy some SpaceX no matter what. Not that long after, a guard near the New York Stock Exchange stopped me. He said he wanted to know how much SpaceX he should buy. Then my colleague in the gardening business was puzzled over the notion of what might be worth sacrificing to make room. Microsoft ? Salesforce ? Logical choices, save for the big Friday manipulation in those stocks that was so enjoyable for those of us with these positions. Let's step back for a second, though. There's not one, but three expected deals that will define 2026 and maybe even 2027. Although, after the rapid-fire fundraise by Anthropic — a near triple from February, not easy when your prior valuation was already north of $300 billion — things seem pretty shot-gunned. Elon Musk's SpaceX is in pole position and is supposed to debut within two weeks. ChatGPT creator OpenAI may be next simply because it needs the money. It smells like more than a trillion-dollar valuation, given it can't afford to have a down round and secured a $852 billion post-money valuation in March. That could be a tall order given its heavy losses and erratic leadership. Anthropic is buttoned up and profitable. …