Musk's Best Friend Gracias Hits $75 Billion Jackpot as SpaceX's Second-Largest Shareholder

Early investors who placed their bets on U.S. aerospace company SpaceX ahead of its upcoming initial public offering (IPO) are drawing renewed attention as they reap astronomical wealth.
Among them, Antonio Gracias (55), a "best friend" who has been with CEO Elon Musk for 20 years, has emerged as the protagonist of the most spectacular success story, becoming the second-largest shareholder of SpaceX.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on June 11 (local time) that Gracias, a close friend of Musk and founder of Valor Equity Partners, has secured a 6.7% stake in Class A shares, valued at approximately $68 billion (about 103 trillion won), making him the largest shareholder after Musk.
Gracias was born in Detroit, U.S., to an Indian father and a Spanish mother.
He recalled that his interest in investing was sparked when he was in middle school, helping out at the lingerie shop his mother ran, and used his earnings to buy $300 (about 455,000 won) worth of Apple stock.
Musk recently wrote on X, "Antonio’s stake is the result of his absolute support from the days when SpaceX looked like it would fail, and his 20-year investment," adding, "There is no better friend than him."
The beneficiaries are not limited to Musk's best friend.
U.S. business news channel CNBC reported that early SpaceX investors are set to realize one of the most significant valuation gains in the history of venture capital through this IPO.
(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.