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SpaceX Reviews
Updated 5 Dec 2023
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Found 2,221 of over 3K reviews
70% Recommend to a Friend
83% Approve of CEO
Found 2,208 of over 3K reviews
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Recommend to a Friend
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Elon Musk
1,550 Ratings
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Top Review Highlights by Sentiment
Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
Pros
- "The planning team is full of great people who are welcoming and plan so many fun activities outside of work." (in 251 reviews)
- "The culture is great and the passion that everyone has with what they do is extremely noticeable." (in 85 reviews)
- "Everyone here is extremely smart and motivated and everyone is constantly learning from everyone else." (in 61 reviews)
Cons
- "Long hours but there is definitely an active change to reduce long hours and cover shifts better." (in 315 reviews)
- 1.03 Dec 2023Production AssociateFormer Employee, less than 1 yearBastrop, TX
Pros
- onsite lunch (discounted) - incredibly easy work - other PA's are really great people
Cons
- not transparent with hours. During my interview I was told it would be 8 hours with possibility of overtime. Once I came on it was mandatory 10 with other employees telling me they always work 12+ - no flexibility with breaks or lunch. Lunch is taken together as a team which is okay, but you can come in at 5am and not take a break until 11pm. - no challenge. Most of the work is too easy, there was no hint from anyone that suggests moving up to more technical roles. There is no thought to some of the work and it becomes extremely repetitive very quickly. If you're the kind of person that likes to critically think and be challenged mentally, look away. - lots of throwing under the bus. Just prepare yourself to always be the person that did something wrong, especially if you're not being thoroughly taught about your tasks. If another supervisor or engineer has an opinion on how you're working, it doesn't matter if you were taught wrong, they don't have your back.
- 5.016 Oct 2023Senior Software DeveloperCurrent Employee, less than 1 year
Pros
Working at SpaceX has been amazing. I have developed software since a young age, and had my soul drained at my last big-corp job, but working at SpaceX has rejuvenated me. The work is interesting. My manager is technical and intelligent. The mission of the company is inspiring. A lot of my friends told me that the work-life balance would be bad, but even after 5 months, it has been great. I just talk with my peers and set realistic expectations on what is going to be delivered. I have yet to have to work late. The on-call rotation is light too, and every week our team spends time reducing noisy alerts.
Cons
You have to be able to be your own boss, learn to say "no", and take ownership and the stress of your area of expertise. You are responsible for your own work, and everyone has brilliant ideas, but you have to take a deep breath, and prioritize on what is important. Also- working at the office is required.
- 5.030 Oct 2023Electronics TechnicianCurrent Employee, more than 3 yearsMcGregor, TX
Pros
The Mission- I am absolutely honored to be a part of our companies mission. We are truly innovating life on earth and beyond, as we know it. The culture- This is certainly one of my top aspects, of working here. It is really an incredible culture to be a part of. My co-workers ,across all depts, are very friendly and driven. I have always felt very supported in my individuality. Employee relations- I feel more appreciated and taken care of than at any other place I have worked or been a part of. Quality of life- I am able to find a nice work/life balance here. My supervision has always been very understanding with any personal needs that may arise. We do work hard but that is gratifying.
Cons
The pay could be better but I am content with my long term financial outlook.
- 4.019 Nov 2023Senior Software EngineerFormer Employee, more than 1 yearRedmond, WA
Pros
You'll be working on some of the most exciting and impactful projects in the world. You will also immediately be asked to take ownership over some feature or area.
Cons
You'll need to be there for at least 50 hours per week, but you'll realistically need to invest 90% of your energy into SpaceX to be effective. I think this is completely ok for many people! Its a great place to work if you're single and don't have kids.
1 - 2.04 Dec 2023Electromechanical TechnicianFormer Employee, more than 1 yearHawthorne, CA
Pros
Great people. Great Mission. Cool to be part of SpaceX
Cons
hours are absolutely hellish. You live to work, not work to live. Pay is sub par for the expertise they require.
- 3.012 May 2023Hardware Development EngineerCurrent Employee, more than 3 yearsHawthorne, CA
Pros
You own everything you touch. All aspects in terms of design, schedule, cost, complexity is yours and yours alone and are responsible for. This means a huge learning growth curve…however at an extremely high personal cost.
Cons
Salary and work-life balance is non existent. Reviews are intentionally skewed low so you are ‘continuously improving’ while killing yourself 50-60 hours of the week responding to messages and emails around the clock all week. Great if you’re single out of school without a life (which is the vast majority of people employed). Terrible if you have a family, hobbies, or any desire to live outside of work. Salaries are incredibly low for the market. Everyone employed after you will be offered more than you. If not for the California salary disclosure law, everyone employed would have been below the minimum (my entire team was until the law was enacted this year and then still we were only bumped up to the minimum). RSUs while great are too small to compensate for the low salary and the life commitment to work here also the yearly addition to RSUs don’t match the initial offering so after 5 years your overall compensation nose dives which then also incentivize you to leave before or at 5 years. Management is the best and the brightest engineering minds ever in the history of the world which also makes them the best managers ever so they are always right and know what’s best for you and your project you spend every minute of your employment working on.
19 - 4.018 Nov 2023Dynamics EngineerCurrent Employee, more than 1 yearHawthorne, CA
Pros
Lots of skilled and highly motivated people working together on some incredible engineering projects. Compensation is generally above most of the industry.
Cons
The people who get promoted to managers are those who excel as individual contributors, and they generally don't have the best people management skills. Work hours can be long, depending on the position. There generally isn't a training process for new hires, you just have to jump in and figure it out. Getting up to speed can take longer than it should because of this.
- 3.05 Dec 2023Assembler IFormer Employee
Pros
long hours and lots of standing. very high demand and competitive
Cons
work was all done by a machine including running and saving data
- 4.01 Dec 2023Chief Executive Officer (CEO)Current Employee, more than 8 years
Pros
I can pretty much throw anyone I like into any dangerous situation and if they die that's too bad for them Darn joos are taking over America
Cons
People make me sick !
- 3.021 Jun 2023Mechanical Engineer IFormer Employee, more than 1 yearRedmond, WA
Pros
- fast-paced - exciting work (it's rockets!) - lots of responsibility & scope - opportunities to shift positions and teams within the company - opportunities to grow quickly - cool coworkers (and there's a lot of turnover, so it's great for networking) - does look very impressive on your resume
Cons
- cult vibes - will wring every last drop of work out of you and then ask for more - unrealistic expectations from management (especially senior management) - lack of support from management, they are also overloaded but have bought in to SpaceX as a lifestyle and have convinced themselves it's fine (again, cult vibes) - lack of diversity, and few effective actions are taken to change that (but you'll get plenty of lip service) - systemic bro culture that puts everyone who is not an engineering bro at a constant disadvantage (ageism, sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, whatever the word is for discriminating against people caring for young children, etc.) - pay is definitely not comparable to other companies, you pay the "cool tax" for working at a trendy company - an unspoken expectation that you are available 24/7
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SpaceX Reviews FAQs
SpaceX has an overall rating of 3.9 out of 5, based on over 2,980 reviews left anonymously by employees. 70% of employees would recommend working at SpaceX to a friend and 80% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.
70% of SpaceX employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated SpaceX 2.7 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.6 for culture and values and 4.0 for career opportunities.
