63 ms·

I'm a lurker who never posts (until now), but the bullet on SpaceX triggered me. I'm a software engineer at SpaceX, and the idea that the average engineer here

I'm a lurker who never posts (until now), but the bullet on SpaceX triggered me. I'm a software engineer at SpaceX, and the idea that the average engineer here works 7 days a week is patently false. The average engineer here works 50-55 hours a week -- which I would argue is no different than any other top startup. We work hard because we are fervently passionate about our mission and wanting to make a positive impact on the world. SpaceX recruits top talent, and every engineer that I know could easily get another job if they had any desire. Me and almost every other engineer at SpaceX that I've spoken to love working for SpaceX and Elon, so please don't pity SpaceX engineers or use it as a talking point in your vendetta against him.

sb8244 8y ago
50-55 shouldn't be normal. That's either >6 standard working days or 5 (fairly) long days.
- anon_spx 8y ago
  Who are you to judge my life decisions about what I spend my time on? It's my choice and my life. I do what I love and nothing more. Go search elsewhere for controversy -- there's none here.
mikec3010 8y ago
> we are fervently passionate about our mission obviously the hiring managers aren't passionate enough to hire enough smart minds to get the work done within reasonable working hours. I'm sure it's not rocket science to see that if you take a job that requires 15 engineers but only hire 10 and keep the same deadline, then some member of upper management gets a fraction of those unused 5 salaries as his quarterly bonus, while you get to feel like a corporate hero for sacrificing 30-50% of your family time. FTR I love what SpaceX has done and a lot of what Mr Musk has accomplished. I'm just saying if we want to play the game of leveling moral judgments at each other, let the games begin.
- anon_spx 8y ago
  And yet, plenty of people sign up for it. I do what I love and nothing more. If I didn't wake up excited every day or have intense fun, I wouldn't work here. I love my job and work 50 hours a week because I want to. Maybe it's difficult for you to comprehend that some people might actually ENJOY their jobs and CHOOSE to work longer hours. It's my life and I don't see how there's a controversy that I choose to spend it doing what I love -- especially when I honestly believe that I'm contributing to something that's making the world a better place. I think if you spoke to most SpaceX engineers, they'd say the same thing; the ones that I know (and I probably know a lot more than you) feel the same.

sb8244 8y ago

50-55 shouldn't be normal. That's either >6 standard working days or 5 (fairly) long days.

anon_spx 8y ago
Who are you to judge my life decisions about what I spend my time on? It's my choice and my life. I do what I love and nothing more. Go search elsewhere for controversy -- there's none here.

mikec3010 8y ago

> we are fervently passionate about our mission obviously the hiring managers aren't passionate enough to hire enough smart minds to get the work done within reasonable working hours. I'm sure it's not rocket science to see that if you take a job that requires 15 engineers but only hire 10 and keep the same deadline, then some member of upper management gets a fraction of those unused 5 salaries as his quarterly bonus, while you get to feel like a corporate hero for sacrificing 30-50% of your family time. FTR I love what SpaceX has done and a lot of what Mr Musk has accomplished. I'm just saying if we want to play the game of leveling moral judgments at each other, let the games begin.

anon_spx 8y ago
And yet, plenty of people sign up for it. I do what I love and nothing more. If I didn't wake up excited every day or have intense fun, I wouldn't work here. I love my job and work 50 hours a week because I want to. Maybe it's difficult for you to comprehend that some people might actually ENJOY their jobs and CHOOSE to work longer hours. It's my life and I don't see how there's a controversy that I choose to spend it doing what I love -- especially when I honestly believe that I'm contributing to something that's making the world a better place. I think if you spoke to most SpaceX engineers, they'd say the same thing; the ones that I know (and I probably know a lot more than you) feel the same.