Meaningful work with reactive leadership - Engineer II SpaceX Employee Review

3.0
Jan 16, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The mission is what brought me to work at SpaceX and what kept me working there. I was fortunate to work with great people on some amazing projects and build a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Cons

Long hours leading to burn out. Through multiple years of employment I saw a transition of leadership by respect to leadership by fear. If you are unwilling, they will find someone who is. Recent 10% workforce reduction that was not based on merit and is bad for team morale

Explore other reviews about SpaceX

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.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All