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SpaceX ranked in Top 50 places to work by Glassdoor
SpaceX has made the Top 50 ranks of the Glassdoor “Best Places to Work” list for the first time, coming in at #40 for 2017.
Surprising? Yes and no.
For those with “a pioneering spirit and a curiosity to seek what’s beyond the stars”, per SpaceX’s Glassdoor profile page, it’s about time SpaceX made the list. Any job involving rockets is bound to be rewarding, but SpaceX now stands as the face of space transport innovation. However, it’s no secret that SpaceX has a reputation for pushing its employees to the furthest limits it can, all in the name of the future of mankind.
Elon Musk’s work ethic and expectations of those working with him were famously revealed in (sometimes shocking) detail in Ashlee Vance’s book, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. Earlier this year, the topic of SpaceX and Tesla being stressful workplace environments was mentioned on Twitter by Elon Musk and investor and board member Steve Jurvetson in response to data presented by Payscale.com. The companies took the top two spots for both “Meaningfulness” and “Stressful environment” in a comparison of 18 tech employers on various data points.
SpaceX and Tesla rated most meaningful work in high tech. Also, most stressful, but that goes with the territory. https://t.co/y8s4UdMF5z
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 6, 2016
Crazy work hours and stressful, deadline-driven output expectations might make SpaceX seem unusual candidate for a Top 50 list; however, Glassdoor’s ranking system is based entirely on employee feedback, thus meaning it’s the employees’ enjoyment of their work driving SpaceX up the ranks, not a strict measure of company policy or number crunching. The specific algorithm used is proprietary, but it takes into account employee-submitted rankings for career opportunities, compensation & benefits, culture & values, senior management, and work/life balance along with the overall company ranking.
As an additional nod to their human resources department, SpaceX is marked as an “engaged employer” on Glassdoor, meaning they have claimed their business page and interact with the feedback submitted to the site. Since Glassdoor makes it a point to keep tabs on any questionable employer activity, the reviews submitted for SpaceX, along with SpaceX’s participation in the Glassdoor community, are reliable reflections of what it’s like to work for the company.
Meaningful work at tech companies. Congrats to #1 @SpaceX and #2 @TeslaMotors. I think this is the root of success. pic.twitter.com/i6rHg15EM6
— Steve Jurvetson (@FutureJurvetson) March 5, 2016
Top ranked employee reviews named the fast-paced work environment and growth opportunities at SpaceX as the positive, more traditional motivators for their employment, and even among employee reviews wherein the work environment wasn’t quite the right fit for them, the mission of the company itself was highly respected and admired.
Current employees of SpaceX certainly have their plates full for the coming months. First up is the Falcon 9 “return to flight” mission following the September 1, 2016 anomaly which resulted in a total loss of the rocket and payload. Originally scheduled for December 16th, SpaceX confirmed Wednesday that the launch has been delayed until at least January of next year.
SpaceX is also continuing to develop the Falcon Heavy, its high thrust, heavy-payload-capable rocket system comparable to the Saturn V, and Crew Dragon, their capsule designed to carry humans into orbit, continues its progress towards NASA qualification. SpaceX has maintained confidence that both technologies will be ready for launch in 2017.
Tesla has extended its Bay Area ride-hailing service to include pickups and drop-offs at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The update, shared via the company’s official channels on July 21, allows users in the region to request rides directly to and from one of California’s busiest airports.
The expansion builds on Tesla’s secured limousine permit for SFO operations. Public records show the permit became effective March 20, 2026, and remains active through January 31, 2027. Tesla vehicles operating the service now display authorized limousine permits issued by the City and County of San Francisco.
Our Bay Area rideshare service now goes to SFO ✈️
— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s ride-hailing program in California relies on Model Y vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology. Human safety drivers remain present in compliance with state regulations, distinguishing the service from fully driverless operations.
The Bay Area geofence covers a broad area spanning north of San Francisco to south of San Jose, offering extensive connectivity across the region.
UPDATE: Elon Musk reveals why Tesla didn’t say ‘Robotaxi’ upon California launch
This SFO addition follows earlier progress at other Bay Area airports. Tesla previously expanded service to San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in late 2025. The company had engaged with SFO, SJC, and Oakland International Airport officials as early as September 2025 to secure necessary approvals for passenger transport.
The service provides a new option for travelers seeking electric, app-based transportation integrated with Tesla’s ecosystem. Rides are booked through Tesla’s dedicated ride-hailing application, which handles matching, routing, and payments. Pricing follows standard ride-hailing models, with potential adjustments based on distance, time, and demand.
Tesla’s California ride-hailing program launched in July 2025 with an initial invite-only rollout in the Bay Area. It started alongside operations in Austin, Texas, marking the company’s second major U.S. market.
The Bay Area remains a primary focus in California, with service centered on high-demand corridors connecting residential, commercial, and now major transportation hubs. This latest airport integration represents a practical step in Tesla’s broader mobility ambitions within the state.
Tesla has officially revealed its 2026 Summer Update, which comes with a variety of crazy new features, including Navigation fixes that owners have been wanting for months.
Tesla routinely releases a larger update with the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter updates, where it ships a variety of new features, bug fixes, and other additions to customer cars.
The 2026 Spring Update featured things like “Hey Grok” voice assistance, a redesigned self-driving app, Unreal Engine visual upgrades, and more.
🚨 TESLA’S SUMMER UPDATE FOR 2026 IS HERE:
Featuring:
✅ Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
✅ Caraoke with Scoring
✅ Automatic Navigation
✅ Preferred Routes
✅ Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
✅ Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
✅ Rear Display Lock
✅ Other Improvements
🔌… https://t.co/C9IW3egEhH— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) July 21, 2026
Tesla’s Summer Release has about ten new features; we’ll show you each and detail them below:
New Grok Voice Commands
“Grok can now make phone calls, search and play music, adjust climate, open the glovebox, and answer questions about your Tesla.”
Self-Driving Stats in Mobile App
“View and share self-driving stats from the mobile app.”
Caraoke With Scoring
“Caraoke now scores your singing while in Park. High scores are saved to your Tesla profile.”
Automatic Navigation
“Automatic Navigation now adapts to your routine.
In addition to Home, Work, and upcoming calendar events, your vehicle can now suggest and route to places you visit regularly – like a school drop-off on the way to work, or the gym on the way home.”
Preferred Routes
“For a more personalized experience, navigation now prioritizes routes that you’ve taken before”
Set Arrival Energy from Mobile App
“Set your desired Arrival Energy from your phone.”
Send Custom Wraps from Mobile App
“Skip the USB drive and upload a custom wrap of your car from the mobile app. Instructions for creating a custom wrap here: https://github.com/teslamotors/custom-wraps.”
Rear Display Lock
“Kids can watch content on the rear screen, but only the front row can control it through the rear screen app.”
Other Improvements
- Find Superchargers by name when searching for a destination
- Add Apple Music songs to queue from search and artist page
- Set your preferred zoom level for the Self-Driving visualization
- Intro animations for new Model 3 and Y
Tesla’s reason for Starlink integration on Cybercab might surprise you, as the company’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, finally shed some light on the reason they are putting a satellite internet terminal on its ride-hailing-geared vehicle.
On Monday, Tesla officially confirmed that it would integrate Starlink V5 terminals into Cybercab vehicles, something many Tesla fans had figured the company would do, as the vehicle is primarily geared toward giving rides without any passenger intervention.
Starlink V5 directly integrated in Cybercab pic.twitter.com/FxzTtzjB6I
— Tesla (@Tesla) July 20, 2026
The ability to access the internet would allow riders to work or play in the car with their devices. It seemed like a more-than-reasonable feature to add to the Cybercab, which made its way off the production lines for the first time earlier this year.
Tesla reveals first vehicle model to receive Starlink integration
However, the move is not for the rider, as Elluswamy confirmed on Monday night. Instead, it’s actually for Tesla to be able to have a constant connection to the cars in the Robotaxi fleet so it can troubleshoot issues, contact riders, or resolve other issues.
Elluswamy said:
“It is still not required for safe operation of the vehicle. Connectivity is primarily meant for navigation, customer service and, in general, fleet management.”
It is still not required for safe operation of the vehicle. Connectivity is primarily meant for navigation, customer service and, in general, fleet management.
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) July 20, 2026
Many initially assumed the option of constant connectivity would be enabled on the Cybercab for passenger entertainment or work. With the Cybercab, passengers won’t be doing anything but enjoying the ride, so it seemed more than logical that they would be hanging out with Starlink internet access as an amenity.
However, Tesla’s primary concern with Robotaxi is safety, and nailing these first unsupervised rides is a crucial step to setting a good narrative on how effective driverless transportation can be.
Being able to get in touch with passengers or a vehicle if something is wrong is a crucial part of the overall experience, and preventative measures are being taken by Tesla to ensure a smooth process, even in the worst-case.
Tesla expands ridesharing service in California to new hotspot
Tesla reveals 2026 Summer Update with crazy fixes to Nav and more
