Shotwell sells $52m of SpaceX shares
September 25, 2026

By Chris Forrester



SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell has filed a document (SEC Form 144) to announce that she would sell 342,170 shares in SpaceX worth about $52 million (€45.6m). The filing is not a statement that a sale has been made but is an intent to sell.

Shotwell’s move is not an admission that either she of SpaceX is in trouble financially, but is a simple and routine move to sell mostly bonus shares (‘options’) that were awarded to her, and bought by SpaceX, as part of her employment contract.


SEC Form 144 is a required ‘heads-up’ to the SEC, not a proof the sale already happened. After filing, officers then usually have 90 days to sell.

Frequently such moves are designed to ameliorate a tax obligation. The move – however innocent – prompted a slight reduction in SpaceX’s share price, falling 0.3 per cent.