Baseten
Small (~100)
Databricks
Large (~7,000)
Best For
Baseten
Best for: Engineers who want high ownership building ML inference infrastructure
Databricks
Best for: Data engineers who want strong comp and deep technical pedigree at scale
Ratings
BasetenDatabricks
4.3
4.1
Overall
3.5
3.9
Work-Life Balance
4.3
4.0
Culture & Values
4.0
4.3
Comp & Benefits
4.2
3.8
Senior Mgmt
4.0
3.9
Career Opps
👍 82% Recommend
👤 88% CEO Approval (Ali Ghodsi)
Culture Values
Baseten only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🧩 Wears Many Hats🤝 Flat Hierarchy
Databricks only
🌱 Learning & Growth💎 Strong Comp & Equity🌈 Diverse & Inclusive
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🎯 Direct Product Impact
Pros & Cons
Baseten
- Cutting-edge ML inference infrastructure — deploying models at scale for real production customers
- Small team means high ownership and direct impact on product direction and company strategy
- Limited resources compared to larger competitors — can feel stretched thin on multiple fronts
- Fast-moving product roadmap means priorities shift frequently as the market evolves
Databricks
- Engineers who built Spark, Delta Lake, MLflow — deep technical pedigree
- Strong compensation and equity packages consistently above market
- Hypergrowth means org changes are constant — teams restructure frequently
- Some legacy Spark-era tech debt that can slow down new features
Bottom Line
Baseten
Choose Baseten if you want high ownership building ML inference infrastructure at an early-stage startup — but expect startup intensity and shifting priorities.
Databricks
Choose Databricks if you want elite data infrastructure work with strong equity — but brace for constant org changes.
Open Roles
Baseten — 55 jobs
💻 Engineering
25
💼 Sales / GTM
12
⚙️ Operations
4
📣 Marketing
3
📋 Product
3
🧠 ML / AI
2
📊 Data
1
👤 HR / People
1
Databricks — 842 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
353
💻 Engineering
284
📋 Product
39
📣 Marketing
34
📊 Data
22
👤 HR / People
12
🧠 ML / AI
12
⚙️ Operations
11
🎨 Design
6
💰 Finance
5
⚖️ Legal
5
Summary
Baseten scores 4.3/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.5 work-life balance rating. Databricks scores 4.1/5.0 overall with a 3.9 WLB. That’s a 0.2-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Direct Product Impact. Baseten also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate, Wears Many Hats, Flat Hierarchy. Databricks also emphasizes Learning & Growth, Strong Comp & Equity, Diverse & Inclusive.
On the hiring front, Baseten has 55 open roles and Databricks has 842 open roles.