Tom Mueller, who joined SpaceX in 2002, recalls meeting Elon Musk through an amateur rocket club. Musk persuaded him to leave his previous career for the promise of exciting new opportunities at SpaceX. Mueller believes it was one of the best decisions he made. In a conversation with CBS News’ Jo Ling Kent, Mueller credited Musk’s entrepreneurial skills and mentorship, recognizing his ability to attract and motivate talented individuals.

SpaceX, on the brink of its historic initial public offering (IPO), sees Mueller and other employees owning equity in the company. This IPO is set to be the largest ever, promising substantial returns for its stakeholders. Mueller emphasized the company’s massive success and the benefits it holds for employees, including himself.

Elon Musk, listed as the world’s wealthiest person with a net worth nearing $700 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, could potentially become the first trillionaire due to this stock offering. As the head of propulsion research at SpaceX, Mueller contributed significantly to the development of the Falcon 9 rocket engines, which was a key factor in achieving the company’s goal of affordable space access.

Mueller eventually ventured out to establish Impulse Space, a startup dedicated to space payload delivery and satellite movement. He continues to advocate for the importance of space exploration, highlighting its benefits like GPS and enhanced weather forecasting. Mueller sees a bright future for space initiatives, including orbital data centers and exploiting lunar and asteroid resources.