Working toward the future - Test Operations Engineer SpaceX Employee Review

5.0
Oct 5, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Surrounded by fun, hard-working people -The overall mission of the company is extremely exciting and keeps people enthusiastic to keep pushing hard to make rapid progress company wide -Relaxed environment -Bureaucracy is highly discouraged

Cons

-Work life balance can be a struggle at times, though this has improved significantly since I started years ago -Flipping between early and late shift every few weeks is common

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5.0
Jul 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Stocks comp No red tape Leadership

Cons

Can be siloed at time. Pain from rapid growth. fast iteration does not suit everybody.

5.0
Jun 29, 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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