The Year of Freak: How an Elon Musk’s SpaceX employee’s big bet on company stock became a $25,000-a-month adventure across Europe and beyond for a year

For 14 years, Brian Aggrey was developing the technology to help the SpaceX rocket to enter space. Now, the man is giving up his days filled with electronics, software and mechanics of Falcon 9 to learn French, visit museums and plan the whole year of travel with his wife.

The article presents an insight into what some experienced SpaceX employees are doing with their stock riches to consider a change of life and career goals.

The newly formed way of life is made possible due to the significant financial boost from the most successful SpaceX initial public offering held back in June, reports New York Post and Wall Street Journal.


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According to the couple, Aggrey, who is 35, and his wife, Phoebe Novack, they have put aside $25,000 per month to enjoy a whole year of travel, creative endeavors and hobbies. The year called the Year of Freak will be finished by July 31, 2027.

It is planned that during this year they will spend time in France, visit Mexico City, go skiing and surfing in California and watch the Italian Grand Prix. Besides, at the end of this year, they may return to work or take any other occupation.

From a SpaceX internship to a fortune in company shares

Aggrey joined SpaceX as an intern at the age of 21. Over the following 14 years, he worked on several aspects of the company’s rocket programme, including electronics, software and the mechanics of the Falcon 9.

He accumulated company stock through his initial signing allocation and annual performance bonuses. According to the Wall Street Journal, his stake eventually became valuable enough to help fund the couple’s extended break from work.

The financial outcome was far from certain when he began buying shares.

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Aggrey recalled a time in 2015 when he could not afford both his rent and the taxes associated with his stock options. A roommate lent him $200 to help cover the shortfall.

“We had no idea, while we were going through it, accumulating stock, whether it was ever going to be worth anything,” Aggrey said, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The couple eventually sold some of their SpaceX shares, leaving most of their holdings invested in the company.

Their decision to keep a substantial portion of the stock means their financial future remains connected to the company’s performance. But the money they have already realised has given them room to take a break from conventional employment.

Novack, who previously worked as a senior manager at Impossible Foods, also left her job.

The pair met while attending Washington University in St. Louis. Before their financial fortunes changed, they had lived with roommates in Los Angeles so Aggrey could put as much money as possible into SpaceX stock.

That earlier period of saving and investing now stands in sharp contrast to their plans for the next 12 months.

A $25,000 monthly budget for a year without ordinary work

For this couple, "Year of Freak" is not just a vacation but a year when they have decided to set aside a certain amount of money from the budget and use it for the exploration of things which are hard for them to pursue along with their demanding careers.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, their vacations started by visiting Milan and France countryside in July. By September, they traveled to Chamonix, French Alps, and Paris.

A vacation to Mexico city was planned in the autumn.

Paragliding in French Alps and Italian Grand Prix are two of the things that they plan to do in addition to pursuing other hobbies that they can indulge themselves in with no connections to their old jobs.

Their budget lets them vacation at a level that they have found difficult before.

Aggrey has been spending his time biking to nearby towns and museums, having coffee in cafés and reading French literature.

Novack joined the acting classes in Fonact, a school of acting located in Fontainebleau.

The couple stayed in Fontainebleau, a town southeast of Paris, in August.

French acting classes, a solar eclipse and a project in Mexico

Aggrey’s interests during the year extend well beyond travel.

At one point, he learned that a total solar eclipse would be visible in Valencia, Spain. He made a last-minute trip from France to photograph the sky.

The episode captures the flexibility the couple now have. Instead of arranging time away from work months in advance, Aggrey could make a decision based on an event that interested him.

Mexico City is another important stop on their plans.

Aggrey intends to work with sculptor Brian Thoreen on a project connected to the city’s water crisis. The project is part of a wider interest in creative and practical work outside the technology industry.

He also plans to take classes in landscape design, visual arts and film production.

The couple expect to return to California during the winter, where they plan to spend time skiing and surfing.

These activities form part of their broader effort to use the year for exploration rather than simply extending a conventional holiday.

The money gives them the freedom to try different things, but it does not determine what they will eventually choose as a career.

What happens when the year of freedom ends?

The couple’s plan has a clear end date: July 31, 2027.

After that, they may return to work in fields similar to those they left behind, or they may pursue something completely different.

Aggrey has expressed interest in improving public transport in the United States, drawing on his observations of European transport systems.

That interest could take him in a direction far removed from rocket engineering.

The couple’s story comes as SpaceX’s IPO created substantial wealth for many current and former employees. An analysis by Hill.com, cited by the New York Post, estimated that more than 4,400 SpaceX workers could become millionaires as a result of the offering, with around 400 potentially earning $100 million or more.

Those estimates depend on the value of employees’ shares and other financial details. They do not mean every employee received the same outcome.

For Aggrey and Novack, the stock windfall has made it possible to step away from work for a year and experiment with a different way of living.

Their decision also reflects the uncertainty that can follow a major financial change. Having enough money to stop working does not necessarily settle the question of what to do next.

The couple have already begun exploring that question through travel, study and creative projects.

Whether they return to technology, move into the arts or pursue a new career remains open.

For now, their priority is the year they have planned — one that began with a long-term investment in SpaceX and has led them far beyond the rocket industry.