Great Mission; Expendable Employee Force - Anonymous employee SpaceX Employee Review

2.0
3 Oct 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

It is extremely exciting to work in a program that has such fantastic goals that are solely for the advancement of humanity.

Cons

SpaceX's upper management, but below our beloved CEO, is full of nepotism. The good ole boy system is extremely potent in the HQ (Hawthorne) portion of the company. This leaves the other sites to battle hard with things that are production blockers. The result that impacts the employee force the hardest is when reviews come out; those that devote huge amounts of their life to the betterment of processes, quality, and ensuring NASA/FAA regulations are adhered to suffer horribly with terrible reviews and zero advancement. This then leads to a flush and fill cycle; let that devoted employee go and get a new one. Additionally, employees are expected to devote their lives to the job 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week; if you request a day or night off for a significant event, you are told you will make up for it regardless if you have accrued over 40 hours that week. SpaceX has very little understanding of the concept of leadership and what leadership really is. They care very little for the employees or their families, only the results.

Explore other reviews about SpaceX

5.0
17 Jun 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

good place to work and earn money

Cons

Heavy workload and long time work

5.0
29 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

* **Unmatched Mission & Impact:** You are literally working on rockets and spacecraft. The cool factor is 10/10. * **Brilliant Coworkers:** You will be surrounded by some of the smartest, most driven engineers in the world. * **Insane Career Growth:** SpaceX on your resume is a golden ticket. You will learn more here in 3 months than in 3 years at a normal company. * **Hands-on Experience:** They actually trust interns with real, critical hardware. No boring coffee-fetching tasks.

Cons

**Cons:** * **Zero Work-Life Balance:** 70-80 hours a week is the norm, not the exception. Say goodbye to your social life and sleep. * **Extreme Burnout:** The "hustle culture" is toxic. You are expected to treat the company as your entire life. * **Mediocre Pay:** The hourly pay is average, especially when you factor in the insane hours and the high cost of living in LA/Hawthorne. * **Chaotic Management:** Decisions can change overnight based on whatever Elon Musk tweets or feels like doing that morning.

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