Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire Friday as SpaceX, his rocket and satellite company, made its long-awaited public debut on the Nasdaq under the ticker SPCX.
SpaceX priced its initial public offering at $135 per share Thursday night, raising a record $75 billion by selling approximately 555.6 million shares and valuing the company at roughly $1.77 trillion at the open, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Shares climbed in midday trading, pushing Musk’s stake — estimated at around 42% — past the $1 trillion mark when combined with his holdings in Tesla and other assets.
The IPO marks the largest in history, surpassing previous records, and stems from SpaceX’s growth since its founding in 2002, per Bloomberg. The company has developed reusable rockets, deployed the Starlink satellite internet constellation, and expanded into related ventures. Trading began Friday, June 12, 2026.
Musk’s net worth, previously estimated at $800–$970 billion before the debut, surged with the valuation of his SpaceX equity, according to Yahoo! Finance. Pre-IPO estimates valued his SpaceX stake at nearly $870 billion at the offering price, with Tesla holdings adding roughly $278–$286 billion at recent share prices.
The Dallas Express has previously reported on Musk’s business moves in Texas, including the relocation of SpaceX and X headquarters to the state.
The current top five wealthiest people in the world are as follows:
- Elon Musk, exceeding $1 trillion following the SpaceX debut.
- Larry Page, approximately $257–$304 billion.
- Sergey Brin, approximately $237–$283 billion.
- Jeff Bezos, approximately $224–$262 billion.
- Mark Zuckerberg or Larry Ellison, in the $222–$237 billion range depending on the index and daily fluctuations.
Musk has made significant philanthropic donations through the Musk Foundation, primarily in the form of Tesla stock, per Forbes. In 2021, he donated shares valued at $5.7 billion at the time. The foundation has supported renewable energy research, pediatric research, science education, and human space exploration. In 2024, it disbursed $474 million, though a large portion went to organizations tied to Musk’s interests.
SpaceX’s public listing also provides liquidity for employees, with reports indicating thousands could become millionaires from stock options, and allows broader investor participation in commercial space efforts.
Musk rang the Nasdaq opening bell virtually or in connection with the debut, celebrating the company’s journey from a startup to a publicly traded leader in space technology.
Officials have not released full post-trading details, and the stock’s performance will continue to influence Musk’s paper wealth, which remains tied to market valuations.
