Airbnb
Large (~7,300)
Helsing
Mid (~660)
Best For
Airbnb
Best for: Engineers who want Live Anywhere flexibility with strong comp and no pay cuts
Helsing
Best for: AI/ML engineers motivated by national security and defense who want to apply frontier AI to high-stakes real-world problems in a mission-driven team
Ratings
AirbnbHelsing
4.1
4.0
Overall
4.0
3.6
Work-Life Balance
4.2
4.1
Culture & Values
4.2
4.0
Comp & Benefits
3.5
3.8
Senior Mgmt
3.5
3.8
Career Opps
👍 80% Recommend
👤 87% CEO Approval (Brian Chesky)
👍 80% Recommend
👤 84% CEO Approval (Gundbert Scherf)
Culture Values
Airbnb only
🌐 Remote-Friendly⚖️ Work-Life Balance🌈 Diverse & Inclusive🔓 Open Source
Helsing only
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🎯 Direct Product Impact🌱 Learning & Growth
Shared
💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Pros & Cons
Airbnb
- Live and Work Anywhere policy — genuine remote flexibility with no pay cuts
- Strong compensation and benefits with quarterly travel credits and educational stipends
- Limited career growth — senior roles often filled externally, promotions are slow
- Post-IPO cultural shift — increasing bureaucracy and internal politics at mid-to-senior levels
Helsing
- Highest talent density of any tech company — world-class AI and engineering leadership
- Extremely important mission with rewarding impact and competitive salary
- Ridiculous expectations of work hours — high salaries do not mean constant overtime
- Some management not experienced enough to lead; lacking in performance feedback
Bottom Line
Airbnb
Choose Airbnb if you want genuine remote flexibility and travel perks — but promotions are slow and bureaucracy is growing.
Helsing
Strong engineering culture with a clear mission — but that mission (AI for defense) is not for everyone. Research the ethics carefully before applying; those aligned will find unusually meaningful work.
Open Roles
Airbnb — 243 jobs
💻 Engineering
77
🎧 Support
23
📋 Product
13
📊 Data
12
📣 Marketing
10
🧠 ML / AI
10
⚙️ Operations
10
⚖️ Legal
8
💼 Sales / GTM
7
🎨 Design
2
💰 Finance
2
👤 HR / People
2
Helsing — 103 jobs
💻 Engineering
51
🧠 ML / AI
8
⚙️ Operations
4
📋 Product
4
💰 Finance
3
🎨 Design
2
📣 Marketing
2
👤 HR / People
1
💼 Sales / GTM
1
🎧 Support
1
Summary
Airbnb scores 4.1/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 4.0 work-life balance rating. Helsing scores 4.0/5.0 overall with a 3.6 WLB. That’s a 0.1-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Strong Comp & Equity. Airbnb also emphasizes Remote-Friendly, Work-Life Balance, Diverse & Inclusive, Open Source. Helsing also emphasizes Engineering-Driven, Ship Fast & Iterate, Direct Product Impact, Learning & Growth.
On the hiring front, Airbnb has 243 open roles and Helsing has 103 open roles.