opportunity to do what you want - Lead Propulsion Engineer SpaceX Employee Review

5.0
Feb 19, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I am provided with all the tools I need to get basically anything I want done. The only constraint is my own abilities. In terms of workload - people do often complain/get burnt out but in my experience management almost never actually tells people to work more. The big workloads come from there being so much to do and go-go people who aggressively take on scope. If you are not doing that you are not going to get burned out. I know engineers who go home at 5-6pm every day.

Cons

Salaries are slightly low from what I understand - but this is sort of inherent to the way the company operates. Do well and there is stock for you.

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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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