The work is long, hard and rewarding. But it's clearly not for everyone. And they're pretty up front about that.
Sadly, whenever these discussions about employees leaving SpaceX come up, some commenters invariably come to the false conclusion that anyone who leaves SpaceX is a loser or somehow couldn’t hack it here. This is obviously not true.
Priorities change and work being the number one or singular focus during one period of life doesn’t make it so perpetually. People get older/more mature and some decide they want to start a family, travel more, want to own a home (not an easy task even as a well paid engineer here in LA), or any number of other good reasons that may lead to leaving SpaceX. None of these reasons should reflect poorly on those who leave.
With that being said, I find it incredibly annoying when new employees come in, some with very impressive backgrounds, and within a few weeks start complaining about the work environment despite it being made abundantly clear to them at every point in the hiring process. I was first hired for a job consisting of extremely low skill manual labor and even for someone in my position it was made very clear what was expected of me from the very first phone screening.
SpaceX is an excellent example of how culture comes from the top.
I used to have a boss who complained that his employees turned up late or not at all for meetings. He would often turn up late or not at all for meetings.
I had another boss who used email excessively. His team used email excessively.
Elon Musk is mission-driven, work-oriented and puts in very long hours. Thus SpaceX is mission-driven, work-oriented, and people put in long hours.
It's all a matter of choice, I admire Musk and SpaceX whilst also appreciating many people want to spend more time with their family.
Just an observation to think on next time your employees don't exhibit the culture you'd like - the answer can often be found in a mirror.