Pros
Being able to provide materials and components to each department so they can get more work done is satisfying.
Subsidized food (plate meals range from $3-5). It's convenient because you scan it with your badge and the food price just gets deducted from your next paycheck. It's all gourmet food too. The free stuff is coffee, sodas, fruit, frozen yogurt, chips etc that you can get 24/7. There's also alot of food trucks scattered around at different times.
Awesome perks that most companies don't offer, like airport parking discounts, theme park and movie discounts, gym memberships (there is no gym at spacex, you have to use an outside gym like 24/hr fitness or LA fitness, etc), and other neat stuff like discounted spacex gear.
Having access to a wide range of live feeds at different facilities, and watching launches from any computer, is pretty exciting. Also you get a patch for each launch. It's like getting a medal!
The benefits are free if you only use it for yourself. It's more money if you add another family member or more. The healthcenter and dentistry being on-site is very convenient, but you can only use it before or after your shift, unless you're hurting or injured. Depending on your shift start time, you may not have the greatest flexibility to schedule appointments. Talk to your recruiter about the different start times that SpaceX has and how that works around using the health center or dentist because they are not open 24/7.
Because the campus is so big, SpaceX offers bikes, vanpools, and pickups to help you get across campus more easily depending on what building you work at. No charge, just hop in and go.
A great team that gets the job done. It's gratifying to be apart of something where each individual was selected to work at SpaceX for their work ethic and skill sets, so there's a sense of mutual respect between every department (at least from what I've seen) because we all know deep down that very few people ever get to work for this company.
The work/life balance is not like the terrible things you've heard over the last 10 years. I've been working a steady 50-hr week (M-F @ 10h/day). Weekend work (saturday) is voluntary and I have not been asked or forced to work weekends, or more than 50 hours yet (otherwise it's double overtime). I think SpaceX has recently pulled away from the "startup" mentality, so things are running more smoothly it seems. I can't answer this for every department though. There's multiple shifts you can potentially work on (talk to your recruiter). The work/life balance is absolutely doable if you are married and/or have kids, just talk to them about it before being naive and taking the job (especially if you work evenings). It's not that hard unless you hate change or temporary setbacks.
Amazing team leads and supervisors who really do care about you and help you with anything, and they completely respect your breaks and lunches. They also want you to grow into a new role eventually and not get comfortable in the same spot.
A lot of jobs and areas to learn and grow into by means of schooling, apprenticeships, mentorships, and more.
You might think being a material handler is as pathetic as a cashier, but i'll tell you this. Yes, it is an entry level job, but there are a lot of areas in production and engineering where they can't complete their work unless someone pulls and brings them the equipment they need, or transfers it to other locations. As a Material Handler, that makes me feel pretty special. It's a good way to contribute. You aren't stocking shelves, you're interacting with some of the smartest and coolest people ever. Every position at SpaceX matters (even the baristas who give you hydration and snacks to keep you sane and happy!). Also, if you are applying to be a material handler, you have a massive amount of room to grow into other opportunities. Even if you don't have an engineering bone in your body, you're not "stuck" there. You just need to ask around and talk to the right people.
Cons
Keep in mind that if you are going to work in production, you might be working a little longer than most departments. The work/life balance is much better than stories you've heard from 2015 and prior. I haven't met anyone who works more than 55 hours a week yet. Most employees are heavily encouraged to stick to their 10-hour shift and then leave.
The performance metrics can be a little intimidating sometimes, but if you're performance-driven then it won't bother you, it will just push you to do better. Always give your best.
If you're expecting to work 8-9 hours a day with a consistent flow of procedures and operations, I URGE YOU TO RECONSIDER YOUR APPLICATION. You will get weeded out. This company is always growing and changing (even changing their footprint layout on the production floor), employees are always adapting and being scrappy. Your department will expect you to be the same way.
Depending on which shift you're working, the food trucks and the Mezz kitchen is closed during certain hours (for me, the Mezz is closed when my lunch occurs, so I'm limited to certain food options).
No 401k matching. I think it's because they give you stocks in exchange, which may be worth a lot of money someday.
I don't really have any other cons to add. The company really is great.
