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SpaceX Employees Get Rich Off IPO While Blue Origin Workers Miss Out
Business Insider • • business
Key Points:
- Blue Origin's stock options program, unlike SpaceX's, only pays out upon an IPO or company sale within 10 years, leaving many former employees with worthless equity despite the company's growth.
- SpaceX's more flexible equity plan allows employees to sell vested shares in private liquidity events, resulting in substantial wealth for early hires across various roles.
- Former Blue Origin employees acknowledge better salaries, work-life balance, and job security at Blue, but regret missing out on SpaceX's lucrative stock options and resultant financial windfall.
- Blue Origin introduced a new stock option plan in April to offer employees more opportunities to cash out, aiming to align more closely with industry standards amid recent setbacks like the New Glenn rocket failure.
- The contrasting equity structures have fueled employee movement between the two companies, with many Blue Origin alumni expressing FOMO over SpaceX's financial success.
