Elon Musk relies on Gwynne Shotwell to make SpaceX soar

Gwynne Shotwell, the longtime president of SpaceX, confronted a delicate problem last June.

- Micah Maidenberg [e-mail]

As her boss, SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk, was feuding with President Trump, he made a major threat: Musk would decommission a spacecraft that transports cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station.

Getting involved in a fight between one of the world’s wealthiest people and the president wasn't easy. But Shotwell found a way to calm things down. She assured officials at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that the company and agency would make it through the situation, according to Brian Hughes, who served as NASA's chief of staff last year.

Shotwell has long played an expansive role at SpaceX, which in December confirmed it was preparing for a potential public offering that some bankers believe would raise more than $30 billion for the company. Shotwell is about to be pushed into the spotlight as SpaceX considers whether or not to move forward with an offering that would expose the company to the scrutiny of the public markets.

At SpaceX, Shotwell is a customer emissary, a diplomat for an increasingly global company and the top day-to-day leader of a group of executives who have bought into its intense culture. With many government leaders, she serves as a Musk translator, especially for officials who depend on SpaceX but are occasionally unnerved by his activities.

She often works through back channels, tapping the credibility she and SpaceX have built up over the years. People who know her say she is tough but charismatic, able to build and sustain business relationships.

“She’s been the steady hand,” said Bill Nelson, a former Democratic senator from Florida who ran NASA during the Biden administration and met Shotwell when the company was a startup. “I have a great deal of confidence in her. Because of that, I have a great deal of confidence in SpaceX.”

Shotwell hasn’t publicly discussed the company’s IPO preparations. She and SpaceX didn’t respond to requests for comment.