4 ms·

Good thing I exercised my SpaceX stock options when I left, then? At this point they're probably worth enough for me to retire. I am 36, married with a 4 year o

Good thing I exercised my SpaceX stock options when I left, then? At this point they're probably worth enough for me to retire. I am 36, married with a 4 year old and a newborn baby, for which I am taking the rest of the year off from working.

sschueller 4y ago
Count yourself lucky as one of the few that didn't get unexpectedly sick, injured or was laid off.
- sgtnoodle 4y ago
  Indeed, I do joke that I was the one employee that left the company when I was happy rather than burnt out! I don't think my overall experience was in the minority, though? It's not like everyone was dropping like flies. I don't know anyone that was injured from work while I was there. I have plenty of friends that worked there long after I did, and I don't think any of them regret it. I also never saw a lay-off while there. A small number of people got fired for performance reasons, but other than being unpleasant, it seemed like a positive change for both parties.
canucklady 4y ago
Where do you get an accurate valuation for spacex equity? Isn't it private and heavily dependent on government contracts? Hasn't musk said he doesn't care about it being profitable because he needs to get someone pregnant on mars to save humanity? Taking a year of parental leave is just a normal thing in most developed countries.
- sgtnoodle 4y ago
  The company's value is determined each funding round, based on how much investors are willing to pay. Whether you consider that accurate or not, the company provides some liquidity through tender offers. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/spacex-employees-offer-sell-shares-032507061.html https://finance.yahoo.com/news/spacex-employees-offer-sell-s... There's also secondary markets, where people are willing to pay a premium for any shares they can get their hands on. That's not in the company's best interest, though, and so it is discouraged. I believe Elon needs SpaceX to be incredibly profitable in order to fund his Mars ambitions. I think his point is that the company's finances are a means rather than an end? I'm not bragging about paternity leave, I was responding to the parent post's claim that I sacrificed quality family time and would regret it. The opposite is true; my time spent working there has had a compounding effect on my finances and career opportunities. I've had the luxury of working on my own terms for many years, on meaningful projects intrinsically worth my time. My memories of working at SpaceX grow fonder with age.

sschueller 4y ago

Count yourself lucky as one of the few that didn't get unexpectedly sick, injured or was laid off.

sgtnoodle 4y ago
Indeed, I do joke that I was the one employee that left the company when I was happy rather than burnt out! I don't think my overall experience was in the minority, though? It's not like everyone was dropping like flies. I don't know anyone that was injured from work while I was there. I have plenty of friends that worked there long after I did, and I don't think any of them regret it. I also never saw a lay-off while there. A small number of people got fired for performance reasons, but other than being unpleasant, it seemed like a positive change for both parties.

canucklady 4y ago

Where do you get an accurate valuation for spacex equity? Isn't it private and heavily dependent on government contracts? Hasn't musk said he doesn't care about it being profitable because he needs to get someone pregnant on mars to save humanity? Taking a year of parental leave is just a normal thing in most developed countries.

sgtnoodle 4y ago
The company's value is determined each funding round, based on how much investors are willing to pay. Whether you consider that accurate or not, the company provides some liquidity through tender offers. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/spacex-employees-offer-sell-shares-032507061.html https://finance.yahoo.com/news/spacex-employees-offer-sell-s... There's also secondary markets, where people are willing to pay a premium for any shares they can get their hands on. That's not in the company's best interest, though, and so it is discouraged. I believe Elon needs SpaceX to be incredibly profitable in order to fund his Mars ambitions. I think his point is that the company's finances are a means rather than an end? I'm not bragging about paternity leave, I was responding to the parent post's claim that I sacrificed quality family time and would regret it. The opposite is true; my time spent working there has had a compounding effect on my finances and career opportunities. I've had the luxury of working on my own terms for many years, on meaningful projects intrinsically worth my time. My memories of working at SpaceX grow fonder with age.