Chainguard
Mid (~350)
Vast AI
Small (~30)
Best For
Chainguard
Best for: Security-minded engineers who want remote-first open-source work with strong comp
Vast AI
Best for: Scrappy generalists who want a front-row seat to the AI compute revolution
Ratings
ChainguardVast AI
4.5
5.0
Overall
4.2
3.8
Work-Life Balance
4.3
5.0
Culture & Values
4.2
5.0
Comp & Benefits
4.1
5.0
Senior Mgmt
4.0
5.0
Career Opps
👍 88% Recommend
👤 90% CEO Approval (Dan Lorenc)
👍 100% Recommend
👤 100% CEO Approval (Jake Cannell)
Culture Values
Chainguard only
🌐 Remote-Friendly🔓 Open Source⚖️ Work-Life Balance
Vast AI only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🤝 Flat Hierarchy🧩 Wears Many Hats
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
Vast AI
- Front-row seat to the AI compute revolution — demand for GPU cloud is surging
- Strong compensation and generous equity stakes for a bootstrapped startup
- Processes are still being defined — expect ad hoc workflows
- Intense workload — the team explicitly values high output
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.
Vast AI
Choose Vast AI if you want perfect Glassdoor scores and generous equity at a tiny GPU marketplace — but expect startup chaos.
Open Roles
Chainguard — 63 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
27
💻 Engineering
24
📣 Marketing
3
📋 Product
2
🎨 Design
1
Vast AI — 9 jobs
💻 Engineering
6
🧠 ML / AI
2
Summary
Chainguard scores 4.5/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 4.2 work-life balance rating. Vast AI scores 5.0/5.0 overall with a 3.8 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. Vast AI also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate, Flat Hierarchy, Wears Many Hats.
On the hiring front, Chainguard has 63 open roles and Vast AI has 9 open roles.