SpaceX Wants Builders Loyal to Musk, Not Just Degrees
The trade is stamina and loyalty for a chance to own a piece of the rocket company.
Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition · Trump Seeks to Boost Iowa Republicans, Musk Midterm Giving Tops $445 MillionGetting hired at SpaceX starts with two tests that have little to do with school. Can you show what you have actually built, and will you commit to a culture defined by Elon Musk.
That is how Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Lauren Grush describes the system, based on interviews with recruiters, advisers, and people who have interviewed for jobs there. Getting hired requires exceptional ability, and it may include having Musk review a candidate's resume.
SpaceX did not answer questions about how it hires, so the account comes from those outside interviews, not from the company itself.
Applicants must lay out their achievements from earlier jobs. Recruiters say hands-on experience matters more than advanced degrees, and the company prizes natural smarts and problem-solving ability.
The draw, according to those recruiters, advisers, and interviewees, is the dream of space exploration. Grush reports that Musk often points to that mission to remind employees why they do the work.
Prospective hires are also told the job will require stamina. The ads warn of long hours and weekend work.
The major perk for that work is a chance to share in ownership. Employees can get a stake through a chance to purchase shares or through stock awards that convert to shares little by little the longer they stay.
Those awards usually turn into shares if the employee remains employed over time.
Questions people ask
What does it mean to be paid in equity at a private company like SpaceX?
Restricted stock units are a promise from a company to give you shares later, usually a little at a time as you stay employed. That schedule is called vesting. At SpaceX, which is not publicly traded, that equity can become valuable if the company grows or offers chances to sell shares.