Most engaging and compelling place to work as an engineer - Engineer SpaceX Employee Review

5.0
Mar 10, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- I have never encountered such a large group of extremely gifted/talented people - Mission statement and overall progress of the company towards it is incredibly inspiring - Even though the company has become relatively large it still feels like everyone is working as a team and is focused on the success of the product - Rate of learning is the highest I have ever had in any environment (including college) - Pace of company progress is phenomenal – no other company would allow you to develop several flight vehicles (including potentially revolutionary ones if reusability comes to fruition) from the ground up to flight in less than a decade - As an engineer you get a ton of responsibility so you can accomplish and incredible amount if you apply yourself - Stock options are valuable and are a financial opportunity very few outside of software ever get - visionary CEO who is committed to success - Overall: SpaceX is the best place to work that I know of

Cons

- Personal responsibility and expected output is high so it isn’t a great place if you are looking to just cruise through a 9 to 5 and forget about work the minute you leave - Hawthorne isn't the greatest location, though the beach is only a short drive away

Explore other reviews about SpaceX

5.0
Jun 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

If you like working and are dedicated to the cause, this is the place for you!

Cons

Very high expectations with long hours.

4.0
Apr 6, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You learn so much because the work is so freaking intense, its a lot of fun if you're the type of person who loves to get emerged in hard problems. The hours for me were not too bad but I was the exception, all the other interns I was with dealt with 60-70+ hour weeks, some interns came in at 10am and left at 12am, when I say its intense, I'm not joking. This is however very unique to the Starbase location. I've heard Hawthorne is a lot more chill. I honestly despite how challenging the role was always look back on it with a sense of pride in my work, and longing to be back there. It really does feel that you're doing world changing things.

Cons

Very un diverse upper management, I'd say the company is pretty diverse in the lower ranks, but once you start to look at the org chart and see who's in charge, you realize that its mainly just white people. Makes you wonder if as a person of color you too will be able to move up. Housing sucks: there was limited housing on campus for full time employees, you have to wait a year plus to get off the queue and once you're off you only really get tiny homes as the option that are in an inconvenient location. Interns don't even have the option to get on campus housing, they give you 3k in a housing stipend and expect you to find a place in Brownsville. I'd say its very hard to maintain a relationship while working here if you don't have an understanding partner, the work schedule is brutal and you really can't slack off.

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