Companies like this need to be put of of business - Composite Technician SpaceX Employee Review

1.0
4 May 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The building is well kept and clean. Free lunch once a month.

Cons

Poor hiring practice/high rate of turn over. The Company hires people based on lowest bidder, this causes tremendous amounts of problems for experienced people having to work long hours due to having to pull the weight of less experienced people.I know this happens everywhere but not in the extent that is present at SpaceX. Poor Management, Managers do not know what is going on the floor. To compound the problem of hiring/promoting unqualified persons to management. The high rate of turn over in all managerial position means SOP are always changing and there is no set way of doing things. As you can imagine this creates a big problems for people on the floor trying to achieve "production" like manufacturing. On the floor as a technician, the company will change your working hours very frequently. One month it could mean you are working 8 hours a day 5 days a week. Then the next month you could be working 80 hour weeks. The hours make it very hard to balance work and personal life. Lack of equipment, self explanatory. Substantially below market in wages. On average you can expect to start 30% or lower below industry wages. The company's reasoning is you work more overtime and have stock shares to compensate the difference in wages. Every year they talk about going public the following year but never do, also the overtime is very sporadic. There are a lot more cons I can list, but it just feels like I am beating a dead horse so I will stop.

Explore other reviews about SpaceX

5.0
22 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Lots of fun work to do! Your manager will make or break it for you!

Cons

Burnout culture Depending on department learning is very much a self guided journey

1
4.0
6 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You learn so much because the work is so freaking intense, its a lot of fun if you're the type of person who loves to get emerged in hard problems. The hours for me were not too bad but I was the exception, all the other interns I was with dealt with 60-70+ hour weeks, some interns came in at 10am and left at 12am, when I say its intense, I'm not joking. This is however very unique to the Starbase location. I've heard Hawthorne is a lot more chill. I honestly despite how challenging the role was always look back on it with a sense of pride in my work, and longing to be back there. It really does feel that you're doing world changing things.

Cons

Very un diverse upper management, I'd say the company is pretty diverse in the lower ranks, but once you start to look at the org chart and see who's in charge, you realize that its mainly just white people. Makes you wonder if as a person of color you too will be able to move up. Housing sucks: there was limited housing on campus for full time employees, you have to wait a year plus to get off the queue and once you're off you only really get tiny homes as the option that are in an inconvenient location. Interns don't even have the option to get on campus housing, they give you 3k in a housing stipend and expect you to find a place in Brownsville. I'd say its very hard to maintain a relationship while working here if you don't have an understanding partner, the work schedule is brutal and you really can't slack off.

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