SpaceX reviews

3.8

67% would recommend to a friend

(2,739 total reviews)
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Elon Musk

73% approve of CEO

79% positive business outlook

SpaceX has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 2,739 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The SpaceX employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Aeroespacial y defensa industry (3.6 stars).

Reviews by job title

3K reviews
2.0
Jan 30, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Free Healthcare, free gym memberships, inexpensive and high quality food, coffee, and company swag. Fringe benefits are absolutely the best in the aerospace/manufacturing business. There is a fantastic energy within the company. One that makes you feel like you are a part of something much bigger than yourself. The company builds a real sense of family and a "one team, one goal" mentality that keeps you motivated through the rough patches.

Cons

Low pay for quality work, extremely tough hours, absolutely zero work-life balance. Outside hiring of higher end positions and management makes vertical movement tough if not impossible. They recently went through a period of over-recruiting talent into lower-end positions so the workforce is flooded with too many chefs and not enough cooks and dishwashers. Recruiting is very good at their jobs and will hook you in by discussing higher pay rates than what will be offered in the end, and really putting an emphasis on OT to cover the difference in "salary expectations." Management is very overwhelmed so don't expect them to help you in career development or to really put any effort into helping you achieve your daily goals. They are, however, exceptionally bright and motivated (young and hungry) so they tend to want to implement improvements and grow the right way. Just sometimes their energy is misguided into looking out for themselves as opposed to their team and subordinates. Very inexperienced for the type of work they are trying to do (learning as they go and flying by the seat of their pants.) If you are a young, hungry, and talented individual you will have a chance to contribute to the team. Just be prepared for everything else that comes with the company name.

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SpaceX Response
10y
Thank you so much for your feedback—we take all of our glassdoor reviews seriously as we continue to evolve to higher and higher levels. As you said, SpaceX “builds a real sense of family and a one team, one goal mentality” and it’s great to hear that the fantastic energy within the company was such a motivating factor for you. It sounds like you had some struggles with work-life balance—we’re sorry to hear you had a bad experience. While innovation can be demanding, we value our employees and are always striving to improve. We’d love to connect with you directly to hear more about your experience. Thanks again!
5.0
Nov 7, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

As a space nerd and believer in American manufacturing SpaceX is a tremendous place to work. We take raw material and turn it into something shot to orbit. That is a hugely satisfying thing after coming from the typical aerospace giants and a driving force behind my continued interest despite getting beat up by my job. Once you've found a niche the job is rewarding beyond anything I imagined it would be. Pay is average for a non-union aerospace company and the benefits packages are nice. The offer a wide variety of insurance plans that make it affordable even for a big family like mine. The chance at constant overtime is nice. Stock equity is a nice touch but no 401K match is definitely a con.

Cons

Manufacturing jigs, fixtures, assemblies, and even launch mounts from raw material means the job is very labor intensive and often out in the elements. You need a pretty good state of health because this job will send you home everyday feeling exhausted. If work/life balance is a phrase in your vocabulary this job will break you. SpaceX plows ahead demanding between 70 to 80 hours weekly from you. Of course for those money-hungry overtime hounds it's fantastic because you will more than double your yearly base salary. SpaceX is very much sink or swim from the very beginning. You must be willing to quickly adapt to new situations and demands that are above and beyond what a normal aerospace company would expect. The day I started my supervisor said "SpaceX only wants badasses", and that has been proven by a number of people who didn't fit the bill being sent home. You must be very even tempered and able to work closely with the people around you.

1.0
Nov 4, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Perks, unlimited OT, discounted meals

Cons

Long hours, no recognition, hard to move up, get frown upon if you don't work 10 hrs min.

Viewing 166 - 168 of 2,739 Reviews

Glassdoor has 3,673 SpaceX reviews submitted anonymously by SpaceX employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if SpaceX is right for you.