SpaceX - Structures Engineer SpaceX Employee Review

3.0
Oct 17, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

We do some of the most awesome work in the world and you will get as much responsibility and ownership as you can handle. I've learned so much in the almost 6 years that I've worked here and I'm very grateful for that. We're on the cutting edge of technology and really changing the aerospace world. Benefits package is actually quite good.

Cons

As many say the hours can be daunting and the pressure from management to meet unrealistic deadlines is relentless and that flows from the top down. Work life balance here can be miserable if you succumb to the pressure and the expectation that you're on call 24/7 which is not sustainable. Because of this many good people burn out and leave the company. There's no clear path for any career development at this company. Seemingly people get promoted by either being the most senior person in the group or that they work more hours than everyone else. But for every one of each of these there's someone who got promoted for seemingly no reason at all. Generally pay is low compared to many other industries including our own and we use the "cool" factor as justification for not paying people as much. The equity argument is now essentially irrelevant as most of us with a meaningful amount of equity have vested and any new offers are comically small in comparison. Plus this is not a publicly traded company so..... yea.

Explore other reviews about SpaceX

5.0
Jun 17, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

good place to work and earn money

Cons

Heavy workload and long time work

5.0
Jun 29, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

* **Unmatched Mission & Impact:** You are literally working on rockets and spacecraft. The cool factor is 10/10. * **Brilliant Coworkers:** You will be surrounded by some of the smartest, most driven engineers in the world. * **Insane Career Growth:** SpaceX on your resume is a golden ticket. You will learn more here in 3 months than in 3 years at a normal company. * **Hands-on Experience:** They actually trust interns with real, critical hardware. No boring coffee-fetching tasks.

Cons

**Cons:** * **Zero Work-Life Balance:** 70-80 hours a week is the norm, not the exception. Say goodbye to your social life and sleep. * **Extreme Burnout:** The "hustle culture" is toxic. You are expected to treat the company as your entire life. * **Mediocre Pay:** The hourly pay is average, especially when you factor in the insane hours and the high cost of living in LA/Hawthorne. * **Chaotic Management:** Decisions can change overnight based on whatever Elon Musk tweets or feels like doing that morning.

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