🧑‍🏭 The welder of Oz

June 10, 2026

Juan Hernandez didn’t join SpaceX as a hoodie-wearing founder. He joined as a welder making $28 an hour.

When he became full-time, SpaceX gave him $10,000 in stock. He kept buying more, sold some to buy Texas properties, and now his remaining shares are worth around $880,000. I’ve talked about how in-demand the trades are, but this is next level. Talk about getting on a rocket ship. 

Silicon Valley loves pretending wealth comes from vision. Sometimes it comes from showing up and fusing metal. Congratulations to you, Juan!