Anthropic
Mid (~1,500)
OpenAI
Large (~3,500)
Best For
Anthropic
Best for: Safety-minded researchers who want mission-driven work with top-tier comp
OpenAI
Best for: Engineers who want to build frontier AI models at the company defining the industry, with elite compensation
Ratings
AnthropicOpenAI
4.4
4.5
Overall
3.7
3.6
Work-Life Balance
4.5
4.6
Culture & Values
4.8
4.5
Comp & Benefits
4.2
4.3
Senior Mgmt
4.0
4.3
Career Opps
👍 95% Recommend
👤 93% CEO Approval (Dario Amodei)
👍 90% Recommend
👤 95% CEO Approval (Sam Altman)
Culture Values
Anthropic only
🤖 Ethical AI / Safety💜 Mission-Driven
OpenAI only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🎯 Direct Product Impact
Shared
🌱 Learning & Growth💎 Strong Comp & Equity⚙️ Engineering-Driven
Pros & Cons
Anthropic
- Mission-driven to the core — the safety focus is genuine and deeply embedded
- Incredible autonomy and ownership, even for mid-level engineers
- High-intensity environment — extended work hours are common during peak periods
- Processes still catching up to hypergrowth; some things feel ad-hoc
OpenAI
- Cutting-edge frontier AI research with world-class colleagues
- Elite compensation — top-tier TC and equity packages
- High-intensity environment — long hours and intense pace are the norm
- Internal politics and rapid org changes as the company scales
Bottom Line
Anthropic
Choose Anthropic if you want genuine AI safety mission, elite comp, and high autonomy — but expect intense hours.
OpenAI
High-intensity, mission-driven culture with world-class colleagues and top-tier comp — but expect long hours, rapid org changes, and internal politics as the company scales.
Open Roles
Anthropic — 428 jobs
💻 Engineering
120
💼 Sales / GTM
117
🧠 ML / AI
46
📣 Marketing
27
📋 Product
20
⚙️ Operations
16
⚖️ Legal
10
📊 Data
8
💰 Finance
7
🎨 Design
4
🎧 Support
3
👤 HR / People
2
OpenAI — 638 jobs
💻 Engineering
299
💼 Sales / GTM
56
🧠 ML / AI
31
📋 Product
31
📊 Data
28
📣 Marketing
24
⚙️ Operations
17
👤 HR / People
14
🎨 Design
10
⚖️ Legal
10
🎧 Support
5
💰 Finance
3
Summary
Anthropic scores 4.4/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.7 work-life balance rating. OpenAI scores 4.5/5.0 overall with a 3.6 WLB. That’s a 0.1-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Learning & Growth, Strong Comp & Equity, Engineering-Driven. Anthropic also emphasizes Ethical AI / Safety, Mission-Driven. OpenAI also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate, Direct Product Impact.
On the hiring front, Anthropic has 428 open roles and OpenAI has 638 open roles.