Do Tesla and SpaceX pay engineers well?

Blippar $ root

Dec 21, 2017 41 Comments

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Do Tesla and SpaceX pay engineers well compared to FANG?

Did any early engineers become millionaires working at Tesla?

Would it be financially lucrative to join a similar boring company at a very early stage?

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TOP 41 Comments

Tesla yBHq00
tesla pays pretty well, we'll beat offers from Google for the right engineers. my total t.c. is pushing 300k after a few years with the company
Dec 21, 20177 8
- Google hopeyoucan
  Not sure if sarcasm. Total comp is pushing 300 including all components? Thats good but not particularly competitive in the current market.
  Dec 21, 20174
- Tesla yBHq00
  decent for senior engineers consider our growth potential
  Dec 21, 20170
- Tesla yBHq00
  I'd rather make 300k @ tesla than 300k @ Google working on spell check :)
  Dec 21, 201715
- Tesla yBHq00
  admittedly our benefits suck compared to google though
  Dec 21, 20171
- Google hopeyoucan
  Still confused. Growth potential of what? Do you mean equity or career growth potential?
  
  If equity, I can just invest in tsla stock if I believe. If career growth, that's reasonable, although I d love more details on what ways specifically you think Tesla helps over fang type companies.
  Dec 21, 20172
- Tesla yBHq00
  both - although to be clear if you're just chasing 100% comp you can always grab a bigger offer from elsewhere - my comment is more so that it's not as lopsided as you might believe after reading blind
  Dec 21, 20173
- eBay zebra11
  So you won't beat Google's TC for the wrong engineers?
  Dec 22, 20173
- Google / EngIFMr24more
  I make 280k as a Google L3. B**** please.
  May 70
Intuit nilops
I bought TSLA at 15... forget about getting rich, worry about being wealthy. Money can’t buy good health or happiness.
Dec 21, 20170 9
- Blippar $ root
  OP
  I would disagree Sir! Go read Homo Deus by Yuval Harari, the author of Sapiens. Money can buy at least some happiness in the future. Just need inventions that stimulate the right neural circuits.
  Dec 21, 20175
- Intuit nilops
  We are more than our meat flesh, friend. Joy is a transcendent emotion that exists outside our bodies.
  Dec 21, 20170
- Blippar $ root
  OP
  Said no bacterium ever.
  Dec 21, 20171
- Intuit nilops
  Find God.
  Dec 21, 20171
- Blippar $ root
  OP
  Not found. So become one instead!
  Dec 21, 20172
- Google Noogler69
  @$ root: like heroin?
  Dec 21, 20171
- Intuit nilops
  God created people in its own image. English as a language is inadequate to express these thoughts.
  Dec 21, 20170
- Google Noogler69
  Man created God in his own image.
  Dec 21, 20175
- Intuit nilops
  DBAP
  Dec 21, 20170
Snapchat / EngStr8Rippinmore
SpaceX pays abysmally. They offered me 1/3 of what my FANG offers were. It doesn't even registered compared to what I got with Snap. That's the place you work because you REALLY believe in it.
Dec 21, 20176 10
- Tesla yBHq00
  yah spacex is still relatively low, for comparison I've seen offers @ tesla of 200k+ salary + 400-500k of RSUs
  Dec 21, 20170
- Blippar $ root
  OP
  But did they offer stock options that was non-negligible?
  Dec 21, 20170
- Tesla yBHq00
  I have ISOs and RSUs so yes they do
  Dec 21, 20170
- Blippar $ root
  OP
  What about early engineers. Did any of them get rich?
  Dec 21, 20170
- Google Noogler69
  If you’re going back in time to profit off of your knowledge of the future, can I be your time travel buddy?
  Dec 21, 20170
- Intuit nilops
  Why so coy about the Boring Company?
  Dec 21, 20170
- Blippar $ root
  OP
  I never said the Boring Company. Just 'one of the early stage "boring" companies'.
  Dec 21, 20170
- Microsoft yMcg47more
  You work for spacex because you believe in making elon musk even more successful
  Dec 21, 20173
- SpaceX chbp55
  I work for SpaceX cause I believe in the company's mission, enjoy meaningfull 30 hours work week and neither Microsoft, nor Amazon and three more Seattle companies were able to beat their offer.
  Dec 31, 20173
- Palantir / EngM¥h68^!
  What was your offer?
  Jan 7, 20180
SpaceX chbp55
I joined this year as Senior Software Engineer in Seattle, TC is 220k and growing.
Dec 31, 20174 2
- Palantir / EngM¥h68^!
  What portion of that is stock? Do they value RSUs based on 409a or public ($20B) valuation?
  Jan 7, 20180
- SpaceX chbp55
  About 36% is stock, the rest is base. No idea about 409a, but the company buys back at the current price, ie. if I get 100 shares at price X, i can sell them back at the same price. If I hold them and the price changes to Y, I can sell them for Y.
  Jan 8, 20180
Tesla Mech
I know of a senior software engineer who makes more than 500k TC.
Dec 21, 20173 1
- Blippar $ root
  OP
  How are the work hours though?
  
  Is it enough to get thing done faster and better than everyone else while working just 30 hours a week, or do you still have to put in 50 hours a week because everyone else does, even if you might be a mad genius, and get burned out in the long run?
  Dec 22, 20170
Tesla yBHq00
but we do have 2 bonus rounds per year so its not difficult to accumulate lots of RSUs/ISOs if you're a good engineer
Dec 21, 20172 0
SpaceX chbp55
I am not inflating, this is just my base and stocks, nothing else. Probably could make way more in another company with less interesting product and lack of mission I can identify with.
Jan 12, 20181 0
Tesla yBHq00
I haven't been with the company too long but from what I've heard lots of early engineers didn't hold on to equity long enough due to volatility so they sold early - so no unfortunately :/
Dec 21, 20171 0
Blippar $ root
OP
What about early engineers, did any of them get rich?
Dec 21, 20170 1
- Apple / EngApl2Ggl
  Rich? Not sure. But I know many Tesla engineers who made a few millions (~3-5M range)
  Dec 22, 20170
SpaceX / EngSingha
NO. since tesla and spacex are not high performing stock companies they do not pay well. Not sure if people in the previous post are inflating all of the trivial HR benefits for the TR but u will make less than industry average working for Elon. SURE there are highly compensated people but they would be compensated much more else where.
Jan 12, 20180 0

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Do Tesla and SpaceX pay engineers well?

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