On Feb. 13, SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell sat down for an interview with TIME, just days after the company merged with xAI, making it the world's most valuable private company, and as it prepares to go public this year. Below is a lightly edited transcript of the interview conducted by TIME Editor-at-Large Jeffrey Kluger. Read the cover story here . TIME: Ok, so let's start with the news. SpaceX just merged with xAI . What role will the new company play in SpaceX's ongoing operations,