Musk’s first SpaceX employee calls historic $1.77 trillion IPO ‘life-changing’

SpaceX’s first employee, Tom Mueller, said the company’s record-breaking IPO will be a “life-changing” moment for employees during an exclusive interview with “The Claman Countdown” on Thursday.

SpaceX will start trading on the NASDAQ on Friday in the largest IPO in history. The IPO is expected to be priced at $135 per share and aims to raise $75 billion, valuing the company at $1.77 trillion.

“Elon always said that ‘Your salary is one thing, but it’s the equity that’s gonna be worth something.’ And we are all like, ‘Yeah, okay someday,” Mueller said. “That day is here. It’s great.”

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Chief Technology Officer of X Elon Musk speaks at a conference on June 19, 2024, in Cannes, France.  (Richard Bord/WireImage / Getty Images)

SpaceX will trade under the ticker symbol SPCX, and its employees could become millionaires based on their access to stock options.

The IPO will create more than 4,000 new millionaires among current and former employees of the 24-year-old space giant, according to estimations.

“We’re having a little party tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. We’re going to ring our own bell and celebrate with a bunch of early SpaceX employees,” Mueller told FOX Business.

SpaceX’s founder, Elon Musk, could possibly become the world’s first trillionaire following the historic market debut.

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BROWNSVILLE, TX-MAY 27: Elon Musk is photographed at SpaceX in Brownsville, Texas (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images) (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

His estimated net worth could rise 26%, from roughly $793 billion to $1 trillion, based on the market value of the assets he owns, including SpaceX and Tesla.

Mueller, who was hired as SpaceX’s first employee in 2002, led projects including the Merlin Engine that powers Falcon 9, the Raptor Engine that powers Starship and other key propulsion systems.

He said joining SpaceX from a large, bureaucratic space corporation was “refreshing” and gave him more freedom to innovate, describing Musk’s company culture as energizing.

“I had just come from TRW, a big space corporation, and getting away from the bureaucracy and able to move fast and really be energized and do the type of product development that we wanted to do… It was really refreshing and fun, actually, even though it was hard. It was actually really satisfying,” Mueller said.

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SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket prepares for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (SpaceX)

Mueller explained how a pivotal moment in 2008 helped pull the company, which generated $18.7 billion in revenue in 2025, back from the brink of bankruptcy.

“2008 was actually the year that we finally made orbit, the fourth flight of Falcon 1 made orbit that year, and it was also when we were just about out of money and that flight saved us,” he told “The Claman Countdown.”

“Then we really got regimented and started flying Falcon 9, the rocket that’s currently flying. And it’s been the most reliable rocket in history. So, it really all came together. And now look where we’re at now. We’re a trillion-dollar company.”

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) the day after the Dow fell nearly 1,000 points as the conflict in Iran continues on June 11, 2026 in New York City. Markets were up over 200 points in morning trading.  (Spencer Platt/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Major investors and corporations are eagerly awaiting SpaceX’s market debut, with BlackRock placing an order for at least $5 billion in shares, according to The Wall Street Journal.

IPO investors can make trades as soon as the SpaceX stock goes live on Friday.