Good place to work but... - Senior Integration Engineer Blue Origin Employee Review

4.0
Jan 12, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The people are the absolute best part of working at Blue. Yes, there's lots of cool technology and the opportunity to be directly involved in creating even at the floor manufacturing level. Depending on the design engineer you work with, your input will be incorporated into their designs. Others however, are less resistant to accepting input from the manufacturing team. One of the most senior designers at the company had a nickname for the entire manufacturing team: "drill monkeys". Once you got to know him, it was readily apparent that he actually had great respect for us. He was grateful when we brought up issues with his designs and gave us all the support we needed to correct the error and move on. The "drill monkeys" term was his chosen method of banter and was a relic of his previous experience at a large local aircraft manufacturer. Some people took it very poorly when they heard this term. I chose to flip it around and banter right back at him when it was appropriate. Until the day he left the company, I had a great relationship with him.

Cons

As in all companies, there are downsides. In my observations, the single largest area for improvement is to have less focus on fringe personnel issues. While I fully support a fair and equitable workplace where everyone feels safe/comfortable working in a place, Blue had a tendency to let a few individuals have an outsized say in what was and was not acceptable in the workplace. It was a very accurate mirror of what was going on in American society in general and not unusual. Unfortunately, these few individuals made a conscious effort to inflate their discomfort at the expense of others, sometimes to the point of people being fired for very minor offenses. In some cases, a great deal of very valuable knowledge was lost and could no longer be used to further the company's goals. All things considered, a loss for the company. Other than this one area, Blue's problems are normal for this industry. They have a good management team that when able to focus on moving the company forward, do great things. When they are distracted by a few thin skinned and self mayrtying indivduals, they are forced by societal pressures and make bad decisions to protect themselves.

Explore other reviews about Blue Origin

5.0
Jun 23, 2026
Anonymous intern
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

nice people to work with

Cons

n/a just a summer intern

2.0
Jun 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

4 weeks of PTO, good benefits, free drinks and snacks available at all locations.

Cons

Leadership is inconsistent and often incompetent, company is very segmentalized and each group operates to different goals and schedules, poor communication with other parts of the company and with leadership. There is an overarching Yes-men mentality amongst leadership, and they often are just aiming to not be the group to be to blame for delays or failures. Personal growth is limited and widely ranges between different groups, there are areas where people see regular raises and promotions, while the majority seems to be told there are freezes or that they will be put in for next cycle. Pay has fallen behind, in the past they used to pay well and above the industry standard, but have not kept pace. Hours can be very long, again dependent on your group, some people may enjoy things like work from home or flexible schedules, but the majority are asked to work long hours and even support roles that could be remote are forced to be on site, despite a lack of space for the number of employees. I moved desks locations and buildings 6 times in 3 years. Re-orgs happen every 6 months, and create significant instability within the company, but rarely bring positive improvements. Good talent is not rewarded, and leaving quickly.

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