The excitement around SpaceX IPO is building like anything. As the company is set to go public on 12th June, thousands of current and former employees are watching closely. For some, the listing could mark a life-changing financial moment. Among them is 27-year-old mariner Maryellyn Musselman, whose journey from recovering rocket parts at sea to potentially benefiting from one of the biggest IPOs in history.
A bet on the company she believed in
When Maryellyn Musselman joined SpaceX in 2022, she was not designing rockets or leading major projects. She worked as an engineering officer aboard a vessel that helped retrieve rocket hardware from the ocean off Florida‘s coast.
She believed in the company enough to invest in it. When she was working at SpaceX, Musselman used 10% of her salary to buy company shares, on top of the stock she received from the company. She knew there was risk involved, but she hoped the investment would one day help her build a future beyond SpaceX.
Waiting for a life-changing decision
Now, as SpaceX prepares to begin public trading on June 12 in one of the most anticipated stock market debuts ever, Musselman faces a decision that many employees are also contemplating, whether to sell her shares or hold on to them. “I think it will be an 11th-hour decision,” Musselman told The Wall Street Journal.
The company is reportedly seeking a valuation of around $1.75 trillion, a figure that would place it among the world’s most valuable businesses. For employees who acquired shares years ago, the gains could be enormous.
From recovery boats to company ownership
Owning a stake in SpaceX represents something uncommon in her profession. “Mariners are not usually stock owners in their companies, they’re not always under benefits,” she told WSJ.
She declined to reveal the current value of her holdings. However, she said her long-term goal is clear, she hopes to start a repair-based business in Chesapeake, Virginia, where she now works as a mariner. Musselman hopes the proceeds from her investment will help her establish her own repair business. Whether her holdings ultimately make her a millionaire remains uncertain.
Thousands of employees could benefit
Musselman’s story is far from unique within SpaceX. Reports suggest that thousands of current and former employees hold shares in the company. They include engineers, technicians, welders, vessel crews and support staff, many of whom joined long before the company’s valuation surged.
Over the years, SpaceX has regularly organised secondary share sales, allowing employees and early investors to sell portions of their holdings. Many have already benefited from the company’s rising value.
As SpaceX grew from an ambitious private space venture into a global aerospace powerhouse, employee shareholdings grew alongside it. For many workers, the IPO could unlock wealth they never imagined when they first joined the company.