Baseten
Small (~100)
OpenAI
Large (~3,500)
Best For
Baseten
Best for: Engineers who want high ownership building ML inference infrastructure
OpenAI
Best for: Professionals interested in OpenAI
Ratings
BasetenOpenAI
4.3
4.5
Overall
3.5
3.6
Work-Life Balance
4.3
4.6
Culture & Values
4.0
4.5
Comp & Benefits
4.2
4.3
Senior Mgmt
4.0
4.3
Career Opps
👍 90% Recommend
👤 95% CEO Approval (CEO)
Culture Values
Baseten only
🧩 Wears Many Hats🤝 Flat Hierarchy
OpenAI only
🌱 Learning & Growth🤖 Ethical AI / Safety💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🎯 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
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
Baseten
Choose Baseten if you want high ownership building ML inference infrastructure at an early-stage startup — but expect startup intensity and shifting priorities.
OpenAI
OpenAI — check Glassdoor for detailed reviews.
Open Roles
Baseten — 48 jobs
💻 Engineering
21
💼 Sales / GTM
10
🧠 ML / AI
3
⚙️ Operations
3
📣 Marketing
2
📋 Product
2
📊 Data
1
OpenAI — 641 jobs
💻 Engineering
290
💼 Sales / GTM
57
🧠 ML / AI
32
📋 Product
32
📊 Data
28
📣 Marketing
24
⚙️ Operations
17
⚖️ Legal
14
🎨 Design
11
👤 HR / People
11
💰 Finance
4
🎧 Support
4
Summary
Baseten scores 4.3/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.5 work-life balance rating. OpenAI scores 4.5/5.0 overall with a 3.6 WLB. That’s a 0.2-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Ship Fast & Iterate, Direct Product Impact. Baseten also emphasizes Wears Many Hats, Flat Hierarchy. OpenAI also emphasizes Learning & Growth, Ethical AI / Safety, Strong Comp & Equity.
On the hiring front, Baseten has 48 open roles and OpenAI has 641 open roles.