Pros
Because you believe you can be the one to make and drive changes that will overall better the goal of our species achieving multi-planetary status. Working for the best is the most rewarding thing i have ever experienced. Knowing that you are kicking butts and taking names at the greatest company on the planet... That is a game changer I have experienced will impact your whole life and long into your future. I think it feels a lot like NASA back in the early 60's, just without cigarettes in the office areas. You are given responsibility that is beyond what most consider possible. You can where 7 hats in a matter of 6 months, where at a similar company they give you 1 hat to wear for 2-3 years. All different walks of life work here. We have so many professionals here... I know we have had professional racers and fabricators turned Engineer or Technician... You just never know how awesome the person working right beside you can be. It’s never a dull moment and there is always excellent conversations and stories happening on break or little team outings. For the most part, we don't care what you look like or dress like... you don't need to wear a tie to be a professional! We like you to be comfortable and safe, which is when employees work their hardest and do their best! So that is what SpaceX strives for at every corner. If you think you have what it takes, SpaceX will make sure you find out! Balance is required. You must be able to perform all aspects of the responsibilities of your title/position, as well be the right person for the team and the Company. SpaceX stays out of your personal life as much as possible, especially if it never affects your job/work. They don't know or care about what you are doing when you aren't at work and pretty much everyone here likes it that way. You will be judged by your work and your presence, not by people's preference or beliefs. I really believe SpaceX just wants the best workers it can possibly get, we leave it to you to decide how to bring that every day! If you are a person who needs to make constant improvements and get irritated when things don't move fast enough or aren't just right... this is the place for you!!! Things are always changing, improvements are made constantly, new processes are discovered and we try new things and hire new people a lot! Last, but maybe the most important... SpaceX believes in its employee's and its missions so much, that they invest in you and you invest in the company. All our employees are owners of the company. We take stake in the company, because we believe in what we are after.
Cons
If you don't like hard work or working hard, this place will chew you up and spit you out. So will living in Los Angeles if you aren't used to living in a major city. If you are looking for a nice koosh job where you can figure out the game in the first 6-12 months and then kick back and coast... You are in for a rude awakening and a short lived experience here at SpaceX. Living in LA is extremely expensive and it is hard for companies to pay you enough to live comfortably. Even more so, most people working here commute a fair amount of time in traffic. This can be a major cost to employees who are unaware, or the lost time and money when traveling for extended durations regularly. Do NOT get a job here, move to LA, and expect buy a house here very easily... I think the house I used to own in another state is 4x more expensive than here, and we sure don't pay 4x more here! LA is not a great city for families, starting a family or getting a nice big home with a yard and a couple pets. Its noisy, its expensive, it's hard to get places in a decent amount of time. So with your small house, crap yard, and restricted mobility, people tend to move here and stay for only about 2-3 years and then they have had enough and leave. Not really because of the company, their job or their performance. Especially when you work your butt off all the time and only get 15 days of paid vacation per year. I hope you don't think too much about overtime or working when you weren't expecting too. Because, SpaceX is in no shortage of asking this of pretty much everyone. Not to mention, whatever you are doing is probably demanding of that level of dedication too. Overtime is normal time, especially for salary/exempt employees. SpaceX does not incentivize mediocre behavior... if you expect extra compensation, you better be among the best of your peers, or no one is going to notice your endeavors. We don't even really equate your bonuses or raises to your contributions directly. More or less, we just compare you to everyone else here, and then say "we have this much money for raises, split it up according to how people compare". Do not go saving $1M expecting to see some set percentage come back to you. It is very hard to get your resume past the first hurdle or two... There are just so many people applying that if you aren't exactly what we are looking for, you probably won't even be looked at. That means, make certain you are submitting a resume and cover letter that clearly shows you are a good fit for the position. SpaceX is in a time of transition, we are growing and we aren't the little kid on the cul de sac, anymore. It can be tough for people to transition and there isn't always a lot of guidance for people who are used to the larger organizations with guidelines and constant procedural feedback. We expect you to be a self-starter in a lot of ways and tend to throw you into the deep-end to see how well you can swim, before loading up your plate with the important stuff. It tends to be a prove-it/earn-it sort of relationship. Success is hard here, we dont give a lot of feedback unless we have to, especially management. When you start climbing the ladder, there is less and less help and guidance. You must be a self-starter and capable of guiding yourself and learning on your own.