SpaceX is going public, and it's set to create huge wealth for thousands of employees — great news for early workers who stuck around, less clear for retail investors tempted to chase it.

• SpaceX plans to go public at around $135 a share, and 4,400 current and former employees are expected to become millionaires.
• About 400 employees could clear $100 million each, with stock they earned as part of their pay over years of work.
• Elon Musk is on track to become the world's first trillionaire, since he built the company himself rather than inheriting wealth.
• The IPO aims to raise about $75 billion — nearly 3x the old record set by Saudi Aramco — with $70 billion in retail demand alone.
• For regular investors, the advice is to be cautious: most people lose money chasing IPOs, so wait 6–12 months and buy and hold instead.

Outlook: The IPO will likely price soon and make Musk a trillionaire almost immediately, but everyday buyers are warned not to chase the hype.