How SpaceX’s $1.8T IPO plans to turn cafeteria workers into overnight millionaires

There's much debate about the SpaceX IPO, and with just days until its June 12 arrival on the Nasdaq exchange, Elon Musk apparently isn't the only person who could be about to strike it rich.

For those who want to get in at the start, look out for the SPCX ticker. This comes after SpaceX's February 2026 merger with xAI, which means buying shares gives you a slice of the rocket business, the Starlink network of satellites, and a healthy pinch of AI.

It's not the general public keeping an eye on SpaceX's IPO, which will list shares at a $135 'take it or leave it' price. The idea is to raise $75 billion in fresh cash, with SpaceX targeting a valuation of $1.8 trillion. Even though this would be the largest IPO in Wall Street history, not everyone is convinced the numbers add up.

Away from Elon Musk and us casual investors, SpaceX could be about to mint 4,000 new liquid millionaires across its own company, with everyone from janitors to cafeteria workers potentially finding some more zeros on their bank balance.

Even though SpaceX's S-1 filing said there would be a “heavy emphasis on equity compensation,” it didn't reveal how many of its 22,000 full-time staff would be included.

How could SpaceX make overnight millionaires?

As reported by Realtor.com, Brownsville, Texas, is preparing for a veritable gold rush. Known as the largest city in South Texas, Brownsville has a population of around 190,000 that's eagerly anticipating the IPO.

Although the median property price being listed at $290,000 puts it well below the national average of $425,000, senior economist Hannah Jones predicts a market spike. This comes as she dubbed the SpaceX IPO as "the biggest wild card on the horizon."

In terms of this bold prediction, Jones explained: "Because SpaceX has historically compensated employees with equity over cash, much of that wealth has been illiquid."

With newly minted millionaires, it makes sense that this capital could be funneled into the nearby real estate market.

SpaceX chose Boca Chica Beach for its Starbase facility in 2014, with Musk himself making a 2021 tweet that encouraged workers to consider moving to Brownsville.

Bloomberg notes that over 1,000 current and former SpaceX employees have joined forces to negotiate with wealth management firms for better pricing and gaining access to tax-saving products. It's said that a Slack group discussing employee options has ballooned from 200 and a collective wealth of at least $2 billion, to a much larger cross-section and up to $20 billion.

Of course, it all depends on whether SpaceX's financials stack up.

Financial expert breaks down SpaceX's IPO numbers

Regular SpaceX employees after the IPO: https://t.co/vHHzISsELd pic.twitter.com/0QtpAZiueK

— Noah (@antibearthesis) June 10, 2026

UNILADTech spoke to Lee Trett, director and co-founder of online financial advice service Money Helpdesk, who gave his own thoughts on the IPO. Referring to this as a 'historic moment' for the tech sector, Trett reminded us that SpaceX has been compensating everyone from welders to mariners with company shares for years.

Looking specifically at the IPO, he added: "When you consider that some of those early stock awards were valued at less than $2 per share, and the IPO price is set at $135, you are looking at a nearly 68-fold increase."

Trett used the example of one 27-year-old former engineering officer, who's apparently invested 10% of every paycheck back into SpaceX and is now poised to be a billionaire: "If cafeteria workers or any other support staff held onto their stock grants or participated in employee share programmes through the years of rapid growth, they are absolutely in a position to see their net worth rise dramatically on paper.

“It proves that having patience and perseverance with your equity can put you in an incredibly strong financial position."

Where is the SpaceX IPO heading?

Trett suggests that while the SpaceX IPO is heading toward making history, it "requires a robust, compliant approach from anyone looking to get involved."

For starters, SpaceX has to form a 'solid foundation' before leaping into continued growth. Despite the Starlink broadband arm being profitable, the broader business is still making a loss. This culminated in a recorded GAAP net loss of $4.28 billion…just in the first quarter of 2026.

He also gave a warning to employees who could suddenly find themselves being millionaires, adding: "My biggest concern is ensuring they are doing things the right way regarding their liquidity and taxes. Most employees won't be able to just cash out on day one due to standard lock-up periods.

"They need to be incredibly careful about triggering massive Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) bills when exercising options, and they need to manage their concentration risk."

In general, he warned that "having 90% of your net worth tied up in a single aerospace stock doesn't provide the best outcome for consumers in the long run."

At least employees seem to be doing the right thing, with Trett reiterating they should seek professional financial advice over this potentially 'life-changing' capital.