technician

engineer

software engineer

intern

senior software engineer

SpaceX

Working at Starbase felt extremely unorganized and production-driven. Honestly, the SpaceX name and mission is what excites most people to work there, but after a few weeks of actually being there you realize it’s nothing like what you expected and the reality behind the name sets in quickly. A lot of the environment felt like active R&D mixed with full-rate production at the same time, so builds, layouts, and processes would constantly change while people were still expected to hit aggressive production deadlines like everything was already finalized and stable.

Management mainly judged people off metrics and time spent on jobs, even when engineering issues, missing tools, lack of parts, or constantly changing instructions slowed everything down. A lot of the work orders didn’t realistically account for prep time, gathering material, troubleshooting, or rework. Sometimes you’d spend a large part of the shift just trying to get the right tools or figure out updated build changes.

There was also a major lack of proper tooling for many jobs, so workers were often forced to improvise solutions or create temporary setups themselves just to complete the work because support and resources were limited. Even under those conditions, employees were still expected to maintain production speed and hit unrealistic metrics.

If production feedback was submitted, it often wouldn’t get reviewed, and even if improvements were made, senior engineers would later redesign the assembly anyway which made previous feedback useless. It created a cycle where production workers were constantly adapting to changing builds while still being judged on speed and metrics.

The company hired large amounts of people straight out of weld school with almost no real fabrication experience. A lot of them didn’t know basic shop fundamentals yet, so experienced workers were expected to help train them while still being pushed to maintain high production numbers. At the same time, many employees hired as welders wouldn’t actually weld much and were instead moved around wherever labor was needed most. It felt more like the company needed bodies to fill positions than people to actually grow in the trade they were hired for.

Formal training was limited, and many times we were expected to learn new processes while actively building hardware under production pressure. I worked mostly 5–6 days a week doing 12-hour shifts for about a year straight and only received a $0.56 raise during that time along with a stock grant around $5,500 that wouldn’t fully vest unless you stayed four years.

Even getting to work every day was rough. The roads going into Starbase were full of potholes, uneven pavement, debris, and construction damage that would destroy suspensions and blow tires. Almost every morning you would see employees pulled over on the side of the road changing a tire, sitting next to a broken-down car, or waiting for a tow truck before even making it into work.

Pay also felt mediocre for the level of work and pressure expected, especially considering it’s supposed to be the top level of aerospace and rocket manufacturing. For an environment that markets itself around high performance and elite talent, the compensation didn’t really match the expectations, workload, or skill level being demanded. Compared to other companies in the aerospace and rocket industry, SpaceX seemed to pay on the lower end while still expecting extremely high output and long hours. 

Because Starbase is located near the border, the workforce was very heavily Mexican and there were sometimes communication barriers on the floor due to some employees not speaking English fluently. I also personally noticed behavior in the workplace where some female employees would receive inappropriate comments or unwanted attention from male coworkers.


The year I worked there was nothing like it was sold to be. Compared to what I expected going in. I eventually left to work for another rocket company where I received a huge pay increase along with much more reasonable work hours and a far better overall work environment.



Before whoever reads this, I want to say that I have nothing against SPACEX, aerospace or Elon Musk and his passion for space exploration...Working with spacex at the Boca Chica location was one of my personal goals in my trade.. I was proud to work with spacex and be a part of space exploration and our mission..Until a month into working there, you will find out that there is A LOT of competition/lack of information sharing on purpose for production growth between team leaders which really affects the work performance on the other teams (which is the main goal of the opposing team in the first place) only to get a head start on production and to look good in front of the supervisors and upper management.. I was in morning shift, and the “team leader” Noe from the mid day shift who was not even MY team lead just plain didn’t like me and a couple of other welders in our crew, I have also confirmed and made sure of this that this is true by phone calls and emails to higher sources because I was shocked that all of a sudden I get a call form Human Resources department that my employment has been terminated due to “lack of performance” and they could not explain why when I asked what was the reason.. which did not match the positive reports on my performance I was getting in person from MY team leaders...and on top of all this, it was on the same day I was told to take a mandatory COVID test and was told I’d be paid for the days I would be off from work whether positive or not, which I was not paid, how convenient right?.... So, aside from truly working hard and focusing on being a part of this great company and it’s mission, if you really want to keep this job or be switched from temporary to permanent before your 3-6 month evaluation, buy your self a good lipstick and start sucking... OR, stay away from a guy named Noe or become buddys with him real quick.. everyone says he has a good relation with upper management and got me and another welder terminated by showing pictures of low quality work and saying it was ours (which it was not) as well as way WAY over exaggerating things he just didn’t like about us and how we worked, and of course there’s other topics that were a load of c**p.. I have been working in my professional trade of welding for 10 years in other places and conditions. And Other team leaders here have told me and say he is real snake like and literally a cry baby and complains to the upper management just to slow down production on the other team to make himself the super hero... I put my all in this and truly wanted to be a part of this team...all in all, it’s an AWESOME company to work with... but the lead people and supervisors.. not so much.. I’ll keep my dignity by keeping my lips away from people’s a**** and just keep being good at what I do. It was good while it lasted.

Working at SpaceX has been a unique and transformative experience for me. The company is known for its ambitious goals in the aerospace industry, and being part of that mission was exhilarating.
However, my time there was also marked by significant challenges that potential employees should be aware of.
One of the standout features of my experience at SpaceX was the incredible team I had the pleasure to work with. The people at SpaceX are passionate, driven, and incredibly knowledgeable. This environment fostered collaboration and support among colleagues, which made tackling complex problems more manageable. I formed long-lasting friendships with many coworkers who shared my enthusiasm for space exploration and innovation. The camaraderie built during late-night launches or intense project deadlines created bonds that I cherish to this day.
Despite the positive aspects, there were considerable downsides to working at SpaceX that cannot be overlooked. The workload was often overwhelming; employees frequently worked 12-hour shifts six days a week. This demanding schedule left little room for personal life, making it difficult to see family and friends outside of work. Many employees jokingly referred to it as “Slave X,” highlighting the extreme pressure and expectations placed on staff.
The production teams were constantly pushed for more output, leading to an unsustainable pace that reached a breaking point for many. This relentless drive for efficiency often overshadowed employee well-being, creating a high-stress environment where burnout became common.
Another significant issue was the frequent turnover in management. Multiple managers cycled through during my tenure, which contributed to a lack of consistent leadership and direction. This instability can create confusion among teams and hinder progress on projects.
Additionally, there were troubling practices regarding layoffs. It seemed that good workers were sometimes let go not due to performance issues but rather for advancement opportunities or out of spite.
This practice raised ethical concerns about how employees were treated and the impact on their families.While engineers or those with advanced degrees might find some leniency in their roles, those in trades or entry-level positions often faced harsher realities. They bore the brunt of demanding workloads without the same level of job security or support
In conclusion, while my time at SpaceX allowed me to work alongside brilliant individuals and contribute to groundbreaking projects, it came with significant sacrifices regarding work-life balance and job security. For those considering a position at SpaceX, it’s essential to weigh these factors carefully.

I have been in aerospace for 10 years now and I am at a complete loss for words with how this company is run. There is no tool control which anyone who has been in aviation has had pounded into their head. There is no formal training and worst of all there are no specifications! i.e. there is both a MIL-SPEC and FAA AC 43.13-1B that cover the acceptable criteria of a button head AD rivet (most common fastener in aviation) but not at SpaceX! To back that up most of the tech they hire have little to no experience, best case scenario they spent a few years in the military but thats a select few.  The lack of quality is another mind blower. There are very few inspection steps when building some flight critical components which most technicians just skip and hope the inspectors will just shrug it off (most of them do). I have also watched techs forge a signature for an engineer to inspect the turbine wheel after a test run, no big deal. 

When I first hired on I was unsure if I had what it took to be an inspector at SpaceX but after a few weeks I quickly realized I was the most qualified. The less experience you have the better so you wont realize how out of control this place is. If the FAA or DCMA ever do an audit this place is going to be shutdown until they get their head out of their behind. 

Most of the management has no experience in aviation. For some reason they love to hire foreign car people from BMW and Mini to build rocket ships. Hey how about going down the road to Aviation Blvd and snagging some Lockheed, Boeing or raytheon guys? 

Don't worry though, there is an anonymous email you can send to upper management to express concerns about the company. Weird thing is when you send a nasty gram "anonymously" and get pulled into a meeting with the same people you sent it to the next day. 

All in all if you have any sort of professionalism or care for aviation this place is not for you. You can't argue you points to management because they A: Don't know anything about aviation/aerospace and wont know what your talking about B: Respond with the generic "Thats how we do it at SpaceX" answer or C: Get upset for not drinking the SpaceX juice and shutting up like the rest of them. 

I hate to bash on the company so hard but for a place that has the resources to do everything right and yet they still do it so wrong is completely unacceptable. I hope the company gets some real management to turn thing around soon before it is to late.

I won't lie, working at SpaceX isn't for everyone. It requires both capability as well as a stern willingness. There is a great deal of responsibility placed on everyone. We're still too small a company with too much work for poor performers to hide in the numbers. Greater still, is the rule to always get the job done. Every company I've worked for had this 'rule', but SpaceX has actually provided the management/environment to allow for this statement to be possible.

They have removed almost all of the stops which get in the way of every motivated engineer. There will always be 'hoops' to jump through, but they all serve legitimate roles, it isn't chaos in here.
Since I arrived here 6 months ago, I have, without exaggeration, accomplished more legitimate work and made a larger impact on the tasks at hand, than I had in the previous 3 years at jobs with other '5S' and 'streamlined' companies. While the pace is ferocious, everyone's willingness to make changes rapidly allow us to correct problems and move on. Other jobs would ponder and debate the merit of fixing a known issue.

Most importantly, I have enjoyed working here. I rarely work fewer than 12 hours a day simply because the job can always be stimulating. The typical employee here is not average. They are the greatest collection of legitimate, hardworking, brilliant, well-rounded engineers I've ever known. I have yet to meet an employee here whom didn't simply impress me or lack in capability. There are no weak links, and that feeling has instilled confidence in every task I do or hand-off to someone. They are all thinkers, all willing to ask questions, will figure it out on their own, is capable of making a decision, won't take suggestions personally (most of the time), and no one hides or plays the blame game when something goes wrong. Everyone jumps on the grenade and fixes the problem together. Simply amazing.

I gave a low rating to the Work/Life balance because it is VERY easy to get sucked into and do nothing but work and the rest of your life will suffer. These are sacrifices which you must honestly be willing to make from time-to-time. It isn't constant though.

Technology like this won't manifest itself, it takes honest hard work; but, working here you know, feel, witness, and experience that work make an immediate difference.

Pros – Note: This is from an Engineer's perspective.

SpaceX has been in a state of growth since I first started at the company, constantly increasing the scope of it's projects, it's capabilities, and it's vision. With that comes the amazing opportunities that only comes from a small/medium sized company!

There aren't many companies where you can have something you designed or built in space within 1~2 years! If flying something you've worked on in space is a career goal of yours, I can't think of a better place to be.

Another side effect of a rapidly growing company is the opoprtunities for increased responsibility. SpaceX employees often find themselves responsible for very important elements very quickly. Responsibility it placed upon people based more on merit than tenure, which allows for career growth not possible with larger aerospace companes.

In my experience, SpaceX does a good job of rewarding efforts and successes with perks and bonuses. While compensations may be below aerospace industry standards initially, SpaceX (in my opinion) does a better job of rewarding performance.

At the end of the day, there isn't any thing quite like watching a rocket take off and a spacecraft at the space stations, and SpaceX captures that excitement and passion of that dream!

Cons – Hours and work/life balance at SpaceX is likely the biggest and most-common complaint, but in my experience it is what each person wants to make of it. SpaceX will take as much as you want to give it, which for a lot of energetic fresh from college engineers is alot. There are lots of folks who have made a successful transition from 60+ hour workweeks to something more sustainable, but you must make a concious decision to do so.

For better or worse, there is definitely less structure, organization, and training at SpaceX than other companies. Nearly all of the training and learning is "on the job" training, as there are minimal mentoring programs. Also, some of the institutional protections of larger companies will not there at SpaceX (for better or worse).

Worked here from 2014-2018 was told it would be a career so I put in the long hours and dedication sold everything I had and moved to the area then bam laid off was told welders were a dime a dozen but hey if we have more positions open up down the road you guys have a job. Fast forward to 2019 re applied for several open welding positions was told by recruiter resume looks good let me check with Hr make sure your not on no hire list, good to go there. Oh we’re gonna check with the guys on the floor oh sorry the guys on the floor said no go. Sorry for your luck.the only issue I have with that is the guys they ask are sub par at best during my time there I observed the guys they kept take weld test and let me tell ya it was a joke after they would get there fit checks for their weld test and the inspector would walk off their so called lead men would break thee test down and weld it flat and stick it back up in position to get their final inspections but the guys that never did that always did the right thing we are all too subpar to return to work there according to the leads but there the ones who can’t pass their weld test in position what a joke my 4 years there I observed most of my team treated like they didn’t amount to nothing by everyone else so if your a journeyman welder fabricator and you don’t mind being treated like a doormat or if you don’t mind other people getting advanced off of your hard work even though the guys getting the recognition cheated and lied and used other people’s work(ie. having people take there weld test for them or cheating their way into passing one or just saying hey I did that even though they spend all their time on the computer playing games all shift) than this is the place for you. Not to mention the nepotism and fraternization that goes on for advancement and job security don’t get me wrong it’s a great place to make history and if I could go back on a different team I would but as far as the fabrication team goes  its a joke

Hired as a tech trainee; I have an A&P license. I was not given a preference on what department to work in. I was placed in sheet metal manufacturing. The first 3 months were great; training superb towards me; I was a deburr tech and finishing parts. The management gave me the word that I was to be a permanent employee, passing probation period. I said some wrong things to my immediate supervisor, not serious mistakes and I made some mistakes on my work; but I worked well for them. They let me go after 7 months, dragging my transfer to permanent. No specific reason was given to me, but I figured my immediate supervisor desired to move me, for personality reasons. I do not feel my performance was bad enough  to be let go and I think spacex could have counseled me and given me a chance in another department. I was in the only department swing shift dominated by latinos and I was mistreated verbally towards the end. That is just a statement, spacex desires to have the best employees in the industry and I made some work related errors and said a couple wrong things to my supervisor; but I was fully trained and independent and I was doing fine for them and I wanted a long term career. That is how the world is; I have worked for many companies and people within the company always hurt the company. Examples are fine hotels, restaurants, anything; the people make the company. I have read some other reviews and I am suprised to hear so many negative comments. That shows you that the people make and break the company. Best wishes working for spacex; I met some nice professional people, who went the extra mile to help me succeed in the sheet metal shop; Maybe I can work for them again. I am starting a new job as a composite technician, and I read negative reviews about them also. We are expendable; that is reality. 

Typical day at work for me:
10am: Arrive, drink large mug of free hot chocolate. Review and reply to emails.
10:30: Vehicle assembly design in CAD.
1:00pm: Grab free lunch from kitchen or buy from food trucks outside, bring back to desk. More CAD. Occasionally called down to factory floor to review fabrication element or installation verification.
2-5pm: meeting. Scheduled for half an hour, cut down to 20 minutes because we're done talking and have stuff to do. Average 1 nerdy reference per meeting.
6pm: Free coffee/frozen yogurt. Walk around the factory with it to see what's new. Back to work after about 20 minutes.
8:00pm: on a normal/light day, wrap up and go home. Before a milestone, though, this is dinner time before returning to work.

Management:
Highly variable between groups, but usually amazing. My boss is a year older than I am (we're both in our 20s), and our interactions are uniformly positive. She is supportive, facilitates getting me the tools I need, and has a great sense of humor.

Your co-workers:
In a word: amazing. They are passionate, intelligent (often mind-bogglingly so), dedicated, accomplished, friendly, and funny. They are more than coworkers: they are friends. They are the proverbial "best and brightest" and it is an honor and a pleasure to work with them every day. I have experienced a few isolated cases of certain individuals being persistently rude or arrogant, but they are in the tiny minority. The application and interview process is rigorous; the occasional lazy/incompetent/untruthful person that gets through washes out in short order.

The hardest part of the job:
We engineer and send things into space. That's extremely hard. Also sleep deprivation sometimes.

The most enjoyable part of the job:
We engineer and send things into space. That's extremely enjoyable.

A Typical Day at Work

A typical day was fast-paced and highly demanding. I worked on challenging technical problems, collaborated with talented teammates, and balanced multiple priorities while contributing to projects with real-world impact. The environment required adaptability, focus, and a strong sense of ownership.

What I Learned

I learned how to solve complex problems under pressure, think critically, and execute at a high level in a mission-driven environment. I also developed stronger technical skills, improved my ability to work across teams, and gained a deeper appreciation for accountability and continuous improvement.

Management

Management set ambitious goals and maintained high expectations. There was a strong emphasis on results, ownership, and moving quickly. Leaders encouraged employees to take initiative and contribute ideas that could improve processes, products, or outcomes.

Workplace Culture

The culture was driven, innovative, and mission-focused. Employees were passionate about their work and committed to achieving ambitious objectives. Collaboration, problem-solving, and a willingness to tackle difficult challenges were core aspects of the workplace environment.

The Hardest Part of the Job

The hardest part was keeping pace with the demanding workload and consistently meeting high expectations. The complexity of the work and the urgency of project timelines required sustained focus, resilience, and adaptability.

The Most Enjoyable Part of the Job

The most enjoyable part was working on meaningful, cutting-edge projects alongside exceptionally talented people. Solving difficult problems, seeing ideas become reality, and contributing to a mission larger than myself made the work incredibly rewarding.

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