Overworked, underpaid, & toxic leadership that pushes sketchy work - Quality Assurance SpaceX Employee Review

2.0
Jul 8, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Work on spacecraft, help different departments, looks great on resume.

Cons

Leadership forces sketchy work that is eventually going to get someone killed. Force long hours of work sometimes 6 to 7 days a week or fire you. Underpay far lower than any other company in industry. Micromanage every second of work. Change annual review requirements a week before they are due leaving you no time to make any goals set out for you and receive no raise. QA reports directly to production which threatens and follows through with firing QA for not passing failed parts that lead to delayed launches. Extremely high turn around with employees constantly quitting or being let go due to poor work environment and low pay. Don't believe? Ask how many people have worked there over 10 years, better yet ask why 5 years is such a huge milestone.

Explore other reviews about SpaceX

5.0
Jun 17, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

good place to work and earn money

Cons

Heavy workload and long time work

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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