AXA vs SpaceX: Founders, CEOs and History
AXA was founded in 1817 by Jacques-Théodore le Carpentier, Claude Bébéar and is led by Thomas Buberl. SpaceX was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk and is led by Elon Musk.
Company facts
Founders
AXA
Jacques-Théodore le Carpentier
Little is recorded about le Carpentier beyond the founding act itself. In 1817 he and 17 other property owners in Rouen created the Compagnie d'Assurances Mutuelles contre l'Incendie for the departments of the Seine and the Eure, covering their own buildings a…
Claude Bébéar
Claude Bébéar built modern AXA. After joining in 1958 he spent 17 years inside the business, including 1964 to 1966 in Canada creating the life insurance arm of the group subsidiary Provinces Unies, before becoming chief executive in 1975 following Sahut d'Iza…
SpaceX
Elon Musk
Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa, and emigrated to Canada at age 17 before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned dual degrees in economics and physics.
CEOs and their tenures
AXA
- Claude Bébéar1975–2000
Chairman and CEO
Bébéar turned a Normandy mutual into a global insurer between 1975 and 2000. He took control of the Drouot Group in 1982, bought Présence in 1986, merged with Compagnie du Midi in 1988, took control of The Equitable in the United States in 1991, National Mutua…
Source - Henri de Castries2000–2016
Chairman and CEO
De Castries ran AXA from May 2000 to September 2016, through the dot-com collapse, the 2008 financial crisis and the euro-area debt crisis, without state support.
Source - Thomas Buberl2016–present
Chief Executive Officer
Buberl became chief executive in September 2016 and refocused AXA on insurance underwriting.
Source
SpaceX
- Elon Musk2002–present
Founder, CEO & Chief Engineer
Under Musk, SpaceX became the highest-cadence launch provider and built Starlink into its largest revenue segment. He led the company through its June 12, 2026 IPO, priced at $135 per share and raising $85.7 billion.
Source - Gwynne Shotwell2002–present
President and Chief Operating Officer
As President and COO since 2008, she has managed day-to-day operations and strategic customer relationships, guiding the company to unprecedented launch cadences and billions in recurring Starlink revenues.
Source
Timeline: AXA and SpaceX side by side
1817AXA
Founding of the Compagnie d'Assurances Mutuelles contre l'Incendie
Jacques-Théodore le Carpentier and 17 other property owners in Rouen set up a mutual fire insurance company, the earliest predecessor of AXA. It stayed a Normandy mutual, later called Ancienne Mutuelle, for more than a century.
1975AXA
Claude Bébéar becomes chief executive
Bébéar, recruited in 1958 by André Sahut d'Izarn, took over the Anciennes Mutuelles group in 1975 after Sahut d'Izarn's death and the settlement of a strike that had paralysed the company in April 1974.
1982AXA
Takeover of the Drouot Group
Bébéar took control of the Drouot Group, then the leading private French insurance group, and became its chairman alongside his role at Mutuelles Unies.
1985AXA
Creation of the AXA name
The group adopted the invented name AXA, short and pronounceable in any language, and Bébéar moved from running the insurance companies to chairing the group.
1986AXA
Acquisition of the Présence Group
AXA bought the Présence Group in April 1986, continuing the consolidation of French insurers.
1988AXA
Merger with Compagnie du Midi
The merger with Compagnie du Midi made AXA the second-largest French insurance group behind UAP and brought Equity and Law, then the sixth-largest life insurer in the United Kingdom. Bébéar was elected Manager of the Year the same year.
1991AXA
Control of The Equitable in the United States
After a failed attempt to buy Farmers, AXA agreed in July 1991 to demutualise and take control of The Equitable, then the fifth-largest life insurer in the United States, which also brought Alliance Capital Management.
1996AXA
Acquisition of UAP
AXA bought UAP, a French insurer twice its size, doubling its French business and reaching critical mass in the United Kingdom, Belgium and Germany. The merger took effect in 1997.
1999AXA
Guardian Royal Exchange and Nippon Dantai
Guardian Royal Exchange joined AXA in early 1999, adding scale in United Kingdom property, casualty and health insurance, and AXA took control of Nippon Dantai, then the thirteenth-largest life insurer in Japan.
2002SpaceX
SpaceX is founded
Elon Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp. to reduce launch costs and make Mars settlement technically possible.
2006AXA
Acquisition of Winterthur
AXA agreed to buy Winterthur from Credit Suisse for ~$14.8 billion (CHF 12.3 billion), about $8.93 billion (EUR 7.9 billion) in cash, strengthening its position in Switzerland, Germany and central and eastern Europe.
2008SpaceX
Falcon 1 reaches orbit
Falcon 1 became the first privately developed liquid-fuel rocket to reach orbit, rescuing SpaceX after three failed attempts.
2011AXA
Sale of AXA Canada
AXA sold its Canadian operations to Intact Financial Corp. for ~$1.87 billion (C$2.6 billion) as part of a portfolio review.
2012SpaceX
Dragon reaches the ISS
Dragon became the first private spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station, proving SpaceX could serve NASA cargo missions.
2015SpaceX
Falcon 9 booster landing
SpaceX landed an orbital-class booster, establishing the technical base for reusable launch economics.
2017SpaceX
Orbital booster reflight
SpaceX reflown an orbital-class booster, pushing reuse from demonstration into operating model.
2018AXA
Acquisition of XL Group
AXA bought XL Group for $15.3 billion in cash, shifting the group toward commercial property and casualty lines and creating the AXA XL platform.
2020SpaceX
Crew Dragon carries astronauts
SpaceX became the first private company to carry astronauts to orbit, restoring U.S. crew launch capability.
2021SpaceX
Acquired Swarm Technologies
SpaceX acquired Swarm Technologies.
2023SpaceX
Starship flight testing begins
SpaceX conducted the first integrated Starship flight test, starting the high-risk development cycle for its next launch system.
2024AXA
Launch of the Unlock the Future plan
With its 2023 results in February 2024 AXA presented a 2024 to 2026 plan targeting underlying earnings per share growth of 6% to 8% a year, an underlying return on equity of 14% to 16% and a new capital management policy.
2025AXA
Sale of AXA Investment Managers to BNP Paribas
AXA completed the sale of AXA Investment Managers to BNP Paribas Cardif on July 1, 2025 for ~$5.76 billion (EUR 5.1 billion) in cash, a total transaction value of ~$6.1 billion (EUR 5.4 billion), and signed a long-term agreement for BNP Paribas to manage a lar…
2025AXA
Death of founder Claude Bébéar
AXA announced on November 4, 2025 that Claude Bébéar, its founder and Honorary Chairman, had died at the age of 90. He ran the group from 1975 to 2000 and created the AXA name in 1985.
2025SpaceX
FY2025 revenue reaches $18.674B
SpaceX reported $18.674B in FY2025 revenue and a $4.937B net loss in its 2026 prospectus.
2026SpaceX
Prospectus lists SPCX and Starlink scale
The 2026 prospectus described a Nasdaq listing under SPCX and about 10.3M Starlink subscribers as of March 31, 2026.
Acquisitions
AXA
- Prima Assicurazioni (51% stake)2025Undisclosed
- Laya Healthcare2023Undisclosed
- XL Group2018$15.3B
- Winterthur2006$10B
- UAP (Union des Assurances de Paris)1996$7.8B
- The Equitable (US)1991$1B
Questions about AXA vs SpaceX
Who is the CEO of AXA SA and SpaceX?
AXA SA is led by Thomas Buberl and SpaceX is led by Elon Musk. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was AXA SA founded vs SpaceX?
AXA SA was founded in 1817 — 185 years before SpaceX, which was founded in 2002. AXA SA's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger SpaceX.
How many employees does AXA SA have compared to SpaceX?
AXA SA employs approximately 156,000 people, while SpaceX employs approximately 22,621. AXA SA has the larger workforce at 156,000 employees, compared to SpaceX's 22,621. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are AXA SA and SpaceX headquartered?
AXA SA is headquartered in France and SpaceX is headquartered in United States. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded AXA SA and SpaceX?
AXA SA was founded by Jacques-Théodore le Carpentier, Claude Bébéar. SpaceX was founded by Elon Musk.
Which company has a longer operating history — AXA SA or SpaceX?
AXA SA has been operating for approximately 209 years, making it the more established of the two companies. SpaceX has been in operation for around 24 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the AXA vs SpaceX overview