If the monotony of Big Tech has left you yawning, the “rest-and-vest” life isn’t really your style, you’ve never been a part of mass layoffs, and if you aren’t scared of the instability of an ad-driven social media company run by an owner who posts more than he sleeps—then you might just be the perfect fit for a gig at X.
The Elon Musk–owned site, which slashed roughly 75% of its staff in just over a year, is now hiring. X, which used to be known as Twitter, is seeking more than 70 brave souls to fill roles in engineering, sales, and operations.
It’s not for everyone, of course. Those accustomed to free on-site restaurants, massages, and other classic Silicon Valley niceties need not apply. Musk eliminated most perks after taking over; he even sold the espresso machines. But there’s a smorgasbord of challenges and long hours to feast on, if that’s your jam, not to mention the chance to work for the world’s (second) richest man.
And, at a time when Google, Meta, Amazon, and other tech giants are laying workers off in droves, X can now claim to be an improbable beacon of opportunity for some, with job interviews in progress every week.
We sat down with someone involved in hiring at X, delving into the intricacies of the social media platform’s interview process. What you’ll need is proof of excellence, an extreme motivation to fight fires (think: moving hundreds of servers down the coast on Christmas Eve), and a hard-core attitude. It also doesn’t hurt to be a huge fan of Musk. After all, he has the final say on all hires.
Indeed, several thousand applicants vied for internships at X last year, the source explained, with many Musk loyalists excited at the opportunity to work at one of Musk’s six companies.
“The people who apply are pretty much Elon fans. They love Elon. They just see it as a good opportunity to work with him,” the source at X told Fortune. “They do ask if we have contact with him, things a regular person wouldn’t really care about.”
Elon’s exceptional ensemble
What’s important to remember is that X is a company that prides itself on rejecting red tape, bureaucracy, and any processes it views as getting in the way of action. That means the interview questions are unlikely to follow a preset script.
“It’s basically asking whatever you feel like, test how the candidate is going to perform in the role, and then literally fill out a Google form. Rate one out of five and then mention your feedback, and then mention any red flags. That’s it,” the source explained.
The platform launched its own job board, so you won’t find listing for open roles like payment engineer and technical recruiter posted on LinkedIn or other job sites. Recent job listings tout a mission “to foster freedom of speech and empower individuals to express themselves freely,” and to “create a platform for all perspectives”—corporate objectives that can be seen in the reinstatement of banned users like Alex Jones and Andrew Tate, as well as the reported spike in hate speech since Musk took over the platform (content moderators, meanwhile, may find work at X too, following the company’s recently announced plans to hire 100 people in Texas to police the site for child sexual exploitation content).
Company values to keep in mind when applying to join team X are “shipping code rather than talking about road maps” and creating “big features rather changing button colors.” X did not respond to Fortune’s request to talk about its hiring process.
Just to get you in the door, the application will ask you to describe “what exceptional work” you’ve done. It’s an intimidating prompt that requires the usual flair for self-aggrandizement (Instead of just saying “worked at Google,” for instance, explain how you increased revenue in Google Ads by launching a key update in a certain number of days), but one that may not be as selective as it seems.
“What they’re looking for in an exceptional employee is very different from how we’re actually working nowadays,” the source said, adding that the reality at X is more simple than the exceptional criteria makes it seem. While Musk and his crew at the top might be keen to hire “people who have been engineers for 20 years and done incredible things on paper,” the source explained that those folks don’t always have the most impressive, or relevant, coding chops. Sure, they might have decades of experience, but when was the last time they got down and dirty with a code editor?
If your application does get picked out of the pile, applicants can expect the same technical interview rigor as most Big Tech roles require. The interview process starts with an initial contact from the in-house recruiter, followed by technical screenings and on-site interviews (typically in San Francisco, which is where X focuses its U.S hiring efforts).
“[Interview] problems depend on the interviewer. We have a bank of questions, but it’s ultimately up to them,” the source explained. “Some prefer hard algorithmic questions; some prefer more practical ones.”
The final decision involves a huddle with interviewers, and yes, Musk really does have the ultimate say. (He used to meet candidates at the beginning, the source said, but now he just reviews the application and gives a yes or no answer.) What’s most unconventional is that Musk prefers candidates who have not been laid off, no matter the reason, and cultural fit is essential, the source said.
“If you’ve been laid off, you shouldn’t even waste your time applying,” the source explained. It’s worth noting, though, that after Musk laid off half of the company, X asked dozens of them to return after realizing they were necessary to the operation.
If you haven’t been scared off yet, congrats, you’re now an employee at X! The pay is still competitive; you can expect anywhere from $100,000 to $300,000 in base pay and restricted stock units on top of it, depending on the role and location. You’ll see Elon sparingly in the San Francisco office; he’s been spending more and more time in Austin lately. When you do cross his path, whether it be in the weekly engineering meeting or elsewhere, don’t contradict him and “don’t make shit up.”
Oh, and don’t call it Twitter.
Do you have insight to share? Got a tip? Contact Kylie Robison at kylie.robison@fortune.com, through secure messaging app Signal at 415-735-6829, or via X DM.
