1,000,000,000,000 by any other name: A trillion in words and graphics

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Elon Musk, worth $696 billion as of Wednesday, is poised to become the world’s first trillionaire when SpaceX goes public Friday. But what does 1 trillion actually mean? Here’s how to think about its immensity and the power it represents.

SpaceX’s projected IPO valuation of $1.77 trillion is nearly 10 times that of Alibaba’s in 2014, which is still the highest ever recorded in the U.S.