extraordinary demands on SpaceX’s early hires

“Elon Musk recognized the extraordinary demands he placed on SpaceX’s early hires. He therefore decided to reward employees who spent the majority of 2004 traveling to Texas for engine tests, and elsewhere. Anyone who spent two hundred days away from home in 2004 received an extra two weeks of time off in 2005, and an all-expenses-paid vacation wherever he or she desired to go. “It was certainly a huge gesture,” said Jeremy Hollman. “Only maybe ten or fifteen of us were eligible, and it was a testament to just how much we were all traveling and sacrificing.” All Hollman needed to do was tell Mary Beth Brown where he wanted to go, and she took care of the rest.”

Excerpt From: Eric Berger. “Liftoff.”