I applied online. I interviewed at SpaceX (Hawthorne, CA) in Mar 2026
Interview
I withdrew early on in the interview process.
The HR screen was more extensive than most, as they asked some questions about computer science and physics fundamentals (on top of the usual fare of "describe yourself," salary expectations, etc.).
After the screen, I was asked to give my availability for the next round. I took a couple days (plus the weekend) to respond, giving dates 2-3 weeks out to fit around my existing schedule.
The recruiter then responded by questioning my interest in SpaceX and indicating my timeline would negatively influence my candidacy. I was caught off guard by how quickly the tone of the messages became more harsh; it would have been helpful to have clearer expectations set about response time and scheduling urgency.
SpaceX heavily prioritizes speed in decision-making across the company, including recruiting. That may be a great fit for some candidates, but it wasn't the right environment for me.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What is the difference between polymorphism and inheritance?
Applied online has two round. First being an phone call with recruiter and the second being online with a team of engineer asked about my previous experience and then had a short coding leetcode style question
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Explain a recent debugging problem and how you solved it.
Basic questions about python vs c++, am I authorized to work in the US, stack vs heap, projects and my experience mentioned in my resume, quick introduction about myself and why i wish to work at spacex.
Recruiter screens usually hit: time/space complexity of common operations, why O(log n) beats O(n), array vs hash map vs linked list tradeoffs, and Big-O of sorting. Want me to drill you on these?
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
recruiter called, they has a few big O questions and basic DSA