My Answer Varies Greatly Depending on Day of Week - Integration & Test Engineer SpaceX Employee Review

4.0
Aug 1, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Work is almost never boring. There's interesting stuff going on if you know where to look for it. Lots of opportunity for career advancement. SpaceX's reputation as a slave driving machine is largely overblown. Company's mission is pretty damn cool, plus you get to work on rockets and spaceships. Subsidized meals make eating pretty cheap. There's lots of options to choose from. The coffee is free and is, in my humble opinion, better than Starbucks.

Cons

Rampant elitism. There are some big egos at this company, and if you clash with them, it's quite unpleasant. This leads to a very noticeable clash between individuals and even departments. Uncle E's strategic vision for the company is largely at odds with the day to day operational demands, which makes day to day life challenging and sometimes stressful. The job could pay more (that's what the _equity_ is for, I suppose).

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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