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Xona Space Systems

Is this your company?

A promising group of folks working on next-gen LEO GPS. - Software Engineer Xona Space Systems Employee Review

5.0
Feb 5, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Teammates are fun and likeable. Work environment is fairly easygoing despite the general fast startup pace of development. -Work on an awesome space mission with a goal (improved version of GPS-like navigation) that has the potential to broadly benefit the world. -Transition to partially/mostly remote work during covid was smooth. I love the flexibility that remote work offers, and I think Xona has found a good sweet-spot in this regard.

Cons

-As with any startup, the future is uncertain -- big potential gains but also big risks from potential mission failure, competition, etc. -Xona is a small company with lots on its to-do list, so you'll have to be ready to help work on new things and take on new responsibilities as they come up, rather than doing the same kind of task month after month. (FYI -- I suspect the strongly negative review below is from a strange incident with an odd former employee who ended up sending us a series of increasingly long emails claiming that he'd been wronged, and generally kinda trying to disparage the company... I wasn't yet hired at the time of the conflict, so I can't speak to the details, but I'd take it with a grain of salt. In my experience our CEO is not at all hostile/angry/etc, and I am a pretty mild-mannered person who is usually sensitive to such things. Must have been a specific personality or culture clash?)

Explore other reviews about Xona Space Systems

5.0
Jun 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The people, the work, and the mission.

Cons

None come to mind right now.

1.0
Feb 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There are teams, particularly under the original Engineering org's, that are more cooperative and team-oriented. If you can work in one of these groups, it's a more rewarding environment. Engineering VP widely regarded as competent manager.

Cons

Compensation for the new openings is low by Bay Area standards. For hiring push, recruiting instituted a monthly meeting for staff to mine personal relationships to fill openings. For an hour in a conference room with recruiting walking around looking over your shoulder, you copy the scripted message and send to friends, former colleagues, etc. Do you really want to advocate a job that pays say 20-40% less than market to your friends? How is executive management on board with this. Emphasis on aesthetics. Every so often, CEO sends out a message: be in the office on this day because someone important is showing up. In other words, look like you’re working. Office is perpetually being redecorated and some of it seems to be purely for aesthetics, like the lobby and placement of the swag table seem to change up every couple months. Once a year, there’s an onsite All Hands with staff from Canadian and UK offices flown in for attendance. During the last onsite, there was a nearly two-hour presentation on new company logo/branding. Didn’t seem to be the best use of everyone’s time for half an afternoon. Putting all of the above together gives the sense that employees are not valued as contributors but are disposable tools.

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