Challenging but rewarding - Anonymous employee SpaceX Employee Review

4.0
Oct 24, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Fast-paced work environment Never a dull day Individual employees given a lot of responsibility, meaning you can really make an impact Great place to start your career, you learn a lot Great place to fail

Cons

Can be a very ambiguous in terms of expectations Very long working hours, can be unnecessary, people aren't encouraged to balance work and life so burnout is common Different culture and experience by employees at different sites, perks aren't equal Career planning and development is non-existent

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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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