“From the Cafeteria to the Cosmos: Everyday SpaceX Workers Are Cashing In Big Time After Historic IPO”

When SpaceX finally went public, it didn’t just make founder Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire. It also turned thousands of regular employees engineers, welders, baristas, and janitors into millionaires overnight.

For years, SpaceX workers received stock as part of their compensation. But since the company was private, they couldn’t sell those shares. That all changed with the record breaking IPO, which raised about $75 billion. Now, thanks to a gradual “lock up period” that lets employees sell portions of their stock over time, many are seeing life changing wealth.

Take Juan Hernandez, a former welder at SpaceX. Back in 2015, he was offered $10,000 in stock. “It wasn’t a big deal to me then,” he said. Now, after 10 years with the company, his 6,500 shares are worth nearly $880,000 at the IPO price of $135 a share. Hernandez works at Blue Origin now, but he still gives credit to Musk: “He’s making all these lives much better.”

Then there’s J. André Lavoie, a 63-year-old former engineer who moved to Italy. His shares are now worth over $28 million. He plans to renovate a hotel and help his neighbors switch from wood burning heat to cleaner energy. “I don’t want to just die with a pile of money in the bank,” he said.

Maryellen Musselman, 27, worked on a ship recovering rocket parts off Florida’s coast. She used 10% of her paycheck to buy extra shares. Now she hopes to start a ship repair business in Virginia. “Mariners aren’t usually stock owners,” she noted.

One current SpaceX employee, a process planner, called the IPO “a beautiful thing… Go Elon!” Another admitted, “I’ve been a millionaire for a while, but it’ll be great when we can actually sell.”

Tom Mueller, SpaceX’s very first employee, recalled Musk’s early promise: “Your salary is one thing, but the equity will be worth something.” He smiled. “That day is here.”