Chainguard
Mid (~350)
Helsing
Mid (~660)
Best For
Chainguard
Best for: Security-minded engineers who want remote-first open-source work with strong comp
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
ChainguardHelsing
4.5
4.0
Overall
4.2
3.6
Work-Life Balance
4.3
4.1
Culture & Values
4.2
4.0
Comp & Benefits
4.1
3.8
Senior Mgmt
4.0
3.8
Career Opps
👍 88% Recommend
👤 90% CEO Approval (Dan Lorenc)
👍 80% Recommend
👤 84% CEO Approval (Gundbert Scherf)
Culture Values
Chainguard only
🌐 Remote-Friendly🔓 Open Source⚖️ Work-Life Balance
Helsing only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🎯 Direct Product Impact🌱 Learning & Growth
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Pros & Cons
Chainguard
- Fully remote with outstanding benefits — 100% employer-paid insurance for employees and families
- Founders are practitioners who understand what engineers and security teams need
- Growing so fast that some inefficiencies exist, though improving
- Fully remote means you miss in-person interactions with teammates
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
Chainguard
Choose Chainguard if you want to build supply chain security tools in a remote, open-source-first culture with strong equity — but expect a fast-moving startup pace.
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
Chainguard — 63 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
27
💻 Engineering
24
📣 Marketing
3
📋 Product
2
🎨 Design
1
Helsing — 103 jobs
💻 Engineering
53
🧠 ML / AI
8
💰 Finance
3
⚙️ Operations
3
📋 Product
3
👤 HR / People
2
📣 Marketing
2
🎨 Design
1
⚖️ Legal
1
💼 Sales / GTM
1
🎧 Support
1
Summary
Chainguard scores 4.5/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 4.2 work-life balance rating. Helsing scores 4.0/5.0 overall with a 3.6 WLB. That’s a 0.5-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Strong Comp & Equity. Chainguard also emphasizes Remote-Friendly, Open Source, Work-Life Balance. Helsing also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate, Direct Product Impact, Learning & Growth.
On the hiring front, Chainguard has 63 open roles and Helsing has 103 open roles.