I recently went through the interview process with SpaceX, which was a challenging and insightful experience. The process started with a screening call, where the recruiter focused on my background, experience, and overall motivation for the role. After that, I had a technical phone interview with one of their engineers. This stage was more in-depth, with questions that tested both my fundamental knowledge and my ability to solve practical engineering problems.
Following that, I was invited to the SpaceX headquarters for an on-site interview. The main component was a presentation of a project I had worked on in the past, delivered to a panel of engineers. After the presentation, they asked me a wide range of detailed questions, digging into my design choices, technical decisions, trade-offs, and what I learned throughout the project. The discussion was very thorough and highlighted how much emphasis SpaceX places on depth of understanding and technical rigor.
I did not move forward to the next stage, which would have been a series of one-on-one interviews with several of the engineers and managers who attended my presentation. Despite not advancing further, I found the experience to be extremely valuable. The process was well-structured, fast-paced, and very demanding, reflecting the high standards and expectations at SpaceX.