Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: SPCX) CEO Elon Musk was honored by President Donald Trump on Thursday at the White House. Trump presented Musk and five other tech leaders with the National Medal of Science and Technology.
Musk was joined by Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang, and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) CEO Lisa Su. These executives received the National Medal of Science. Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE: DELL) CEO Michael Dell and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
In a post on X, Musk congratulated his fellow honorees, writing, “Congratulations to Sergey, Jensen, Lisa, Michael and Satya!”
During the ceremony, Trump praised Musk, calling him an “industrial titan, a brilliant engineer, and one of the greatest technology founders to ever live.” The President stated, “there is nobody like him.” Trump credited Musk with founding SpaceX in 2002 using his life savings and noted that the company “saved NASA from relying on foreign nations” to send American astronauts into space. Trump also referred to Musk as a “national treasure” and compared him to Thomas Edison.
Other honorees shared their thoughts on the award. Satya Nadella said he was “humbled to stand alongside so many giants of American innovation.” Lisa Su remarked that her “parents came to America with big dreams and a deep belief in education and hard work,” adding that the country “gave me the opportunity to pursue my passion for semiconductors.” Michael Dell recalled starting his company 42 years ago with $1,000 in his dorm room, stating that the medal belongs to the “incredible teams, partners, and customers who made it possible.”
Regarding the company’s stock performance, SpaceX closed 4.19% lower at $160.57 on Thursday. In extended trading, the stock climbed 2.32% to $164.30.
