PART 1 Summary

The success of SpaceX reinvigorated America’s ability to take people into space and slapped its foreign rivals sober, making the country a card-carrying member once again in the worldwide commercial launch market. The aspiration of this young, feisty company is not merely to needle its rivalries, but rather to conquer the solar system.

Unlike old-line companies which churn out equipment that replicate or mimick their 1960s’ predecessors, SpaceX is a hotbed of innovations and game-changing ideas where space fantasies can materialize.

Meanwhile, SpaceX recruiters are consumed with hunting for talent. The rank-and-file candidates are overachievers who ooze passion and have real-world experience. As the gatekeeper of the final-round interviews, Musk often comes off borderline awkward and rolls out his polar riddle.

Although some employees would quit under the weight of criticism and pressure, others have developed entrenched loyalty towards Musk. Yet, almost every person, whether still on the payroll or not, heaps praise on Musk, worshiping him as a hero or deity.

Contrary to a typical airspace company, SpaceX cuts its umbilical cord from third-party suppliers and fabricate as many equipment as possible. One of the trump cards it holds is a contraption used for friction stir welding, which allows SpaceX to leapfrog its competitors.

SpaceX

PART 2 Expressions

It’s the spaceship equivalent of an Apple laptop or a Braun kettle—an elegant, purposeful machine stripped of frivolity and waste.

[frɪˈvɒləti]  (a.) frivolous

1. behavior of activities that are not serious or sensible, especially when you should be serious or sensible

I don't thin such frivolity helps the organization's public image.

2. something that is silly and unimportant

Try not to be distracted by the frivolities of the world.

Its $60 million per launch cost is much less than what Europe and Japan charge and trumps even the relative bargains offered by the Russians and Chinese.

(n.) 桥牌中的王牌

trump card: something that you can do or use in a situation, which gives you an advantage

But then he decided to play his trump card(= use his advantage).

They hold all the trump cards things which could give them an advantage.

(v.) to do better than someone else in a situation when people are competing with each other

By wearing a simple but stunning dress, she had trumped them all.

SpaceX can undercut its U.S. competitors—Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Orbital Sciences—on price by a ridiculous margin.

margin: the difference between what it costs a business to buy or produce sth and what they sell it for

Margins are low and many companies are struggling.

Within 10 years they had a gross profit margin of 50%.

.

This leaves the United States dealing with two of its least-favored nations in space matters and doing so without much leverage. Case in point: the retirement of the space shuttle made the United States totally dependent on the Russians to get astronauts to the ISS.

A clear example of something that you are discussing or explaining

Tom’s career is a case in point.

A classic case (=typical example) of poor design

Part of it stems from SpaceX being the apotheosis of the Cult of Musk.

[əˌpɒθiˈəʊsɪs]

1. the best and most perfect example of sth

the apotheosis of romantic art

2. the best or highest point in sb's life or job SYN apex

the apotheosis of his career

SpaceX is the hip, forward-thinking place that’s brought the perks of Silicon Valley—namely frozen yogurt, stock options, speedy decision making, and a flat corporate structure—to a staid industry.

perk: sth that you get legally from your work in addition to your wages, such as goods, meals, or a car

theatre ticket an other perks

I only eat here because it's free -- one of the perks of the job.

staid: serious, old-fashioned and boring

a staid old bachelor

From that point, the tales of engineers who have interviewed with Musk run the gamut from torturous experiences to the sublime.

gamut: the complete range of possibilities

College life opened up a whole gamut of new experiences.

Her feelings that day ran the gamut of emotions(= included all the possibilities between two extremes).

sublime: [səˈblaɪm] (a.)

the sublime: sth that is so good or beautiful that you are deeply affected by it

The works on display range from the mainstream to the sublime.

from the sublime to the ridiculous: used to say that a serious and important thing or event is being followed by sth very silly, unimportant or bad

It’s a strategy that flat-out dumbfounds SpaceX’s competitors, like United Launch Alliance, or ULA, which openly brags about depending on more than 1,200 suppliers to make its end products.

(v.) extremely surprise sb

(a.) dumbfounded

He was completely dumbfounded by the incident.

The biggest challenge was convincing NASA to give something new a try and building a paper trail that showed the parts were high enough quality.

(a.) existing only as an idea but not having any real value

paper profit : a record of the value of sth that is not real until the thing is sold

paper promises

The relationship between Musk and Bezos has soured, and they no longer chat about their shared ambition of getting to Mars.

If a relationship or sb's attitude sours, or if sth sours it, it becomes unfriendly or unfavorable

An unhappy childhood has soured her view of life.

PART 3 Thoughts

At trade shows and conferences, SpaceX recruiters wooed interesting candidates they had spotted with a cloak-and-dagger shtick. They would hand out blank envelopes that contained invitations to meet at a specific time and place, usually a bar or restaurant near the event, for an initial interview. The candidates that showed up would discover they were among only a handful of people who been anointed out of all the conference attendees. They were immediately made to feel special and inspired.

招聘是一个双向选择的过程，不仅是雇主选择雇员，也是雇员选择雇主的一个过程。之前参加过几次校园内的招聘宣讲会，不乏有大牌的律所和公司，然而大多数时候都是由几个普通在职员工做几张PPT展示一下，预告晚上六点开始的临时推延到七点的也常有。宣讲的内容也不乏就是自己公司多么优秀工资多么丰厚。那些宣讲会给人一种很敷衍的感觉，仿佛不是来招募人才的，而是来炫耀自身实力的，有一种你爱来不来、我不稀罕的感觉。但有一场宣讲会我印象特别深刻，一家英资所的资深合伙人亲自到场宣讲，非常的风趣幽默，并且他本人离开场提前了半小时就现身了，还给每个听众准备了礼物。工资待遇固然可以吸引人才，但是公司在招聘的过程中展现一定的诚意也非常有必要。