NASA reviews

Many people here are doing jobs they aren't actually qualified for and, as a result, are pushing other workers to do things incorrectly. Having "civil servant" status doesn't mean you can suddenly hang out in the International Space Station and failing as a scientist doesn't suddenly mean you should get pushed into a position where you write for the public and deal with the media. The problem is that these people CAN NOT be fired, so they get shifted around and they end up taking the jobs of more talented and more experienced people in other departments, who, unfortunately, have not achieved civil servant status. One last thing: this campus is located in the heart of Silicon Valley yet paying employees a fraction of what the businesses that surround them pay for similar positions.

NASA research culture is SLOW. Risk averse is too nice a term, people don't even seem motivated to succeed. The civil servants are too comfortable - there is no catalyst to do amazing things anymore. The pride is non-existent outside of the brand name that NASA is siphoning from the 60's and shuttle era.