Andre Lavoie, a 63-year-old engineer, joined SpaceX in 2009 and was given 200,000 shares as part of his compensation package. Today, those shares are worth a staggering $23 million. Lavoie is not alone; thousands of SpaceX employees have become millionaires after the company's historic IPO in June.
As the stock market continues to fluctuate, Lavoie plans to sell his shares in intervals, citing the unpredictable nature of the market. 'Every chance I get going forward, I'll sell a little bit more,' he says.
'The shares have been going up so radically it keeps messing up my life plans - you really can't know the future, so it's better to sell early and in intervals.'
SpaceX's listing on the stock market has created an estimated 4,400 new millionaires, including staff who worked on the production line. The company's founder, Elon Musk, has stated that the IPO has made 'several thousand' employees millionaires.
The company's quarterly revenue has nearly doubled to $7.8 billion, while its spending has ballooned to $18.3 billion. Despite this, SpaceX reported a net loss of $143 million in the three months to June.
Musk remains optimistic about the company's future, particularly with its satellite internet service, Starlink. He predicts that Starlink could one day deliver a majority of the world's internet.
Lavoie, meanwhile, plans to use his funds to renovate a hotel in Italy and support a local environmental group. He remains supportive of SpaceX and its mission, saying, 'I've always been happily supportive and impressed, and would work hard with those incredible people again.'