Working for Elon Musk at SpaceX is like working for "a master who berates and smacks his dog for not being able to read his mind" says an anonymous poster claiming to be an engineer at the space transportation firm.

On the question-and-answer website Quora, a poster who claims to have worked for SpaceX for more than five years lambasted Musk for his treatment of workers and his "highly skewed" version of reality.

"If you want a family or hobbies or to see any other aspect of life other than the boundaries of your cubicle, SpaceX is not for you and Elon Musk doesn't seem to give a damn," the post reads.

"This side of what it's like to work with Elon shows that no one likes working with Elon. You can always tell when someone's left an Elon meeting: they're defeated. These are some of the hardest working and brightest people in the world, mind you. And they're universally defeated."

The supposed employee acknowledges that "SpaceX really is awesome" and concedes that the company would not be the powerhouse that it is today without such high expectations from Musk.

In recent years SpaceX has developed a number of groundbreaking technologies, including a seven-seater manned spacecraft and a reusable rocket for space missions.

Musk has also announced plans to launch the largest ever fleet of satellites in order to deliver internet to vast swathes of the unconnected world, as well as an 800mph Hyperloop train capable of transporting passengers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in around 30 minutes.

Such ambitious projects are driven forward by a relentless Musk, according to the Quora poster, who reportedly complains that not enough of his employees work on Saturdays.

"If you believe a task should take a year then Elon wants it done in a week," the post claims. "He won't hesitate to throw out six months work because it's not 'badass' enough. But in doing so he doesn't change the schedule.

"It's understandable. Putting people on Mars is not a small task especially given the overwhelming political obstacles that face SpaceX's mission," wrote the poster.

"SpaceX certainly requires a hard mentality. But so often Elon's leadership is best compared to a master who berates and smacks his dog for not being able to read his mind."