Chainguard
Mid (~350)
Writer
Mid (~400)
Best For
Chainguard
Best for: Security-minded engineers who want remote-first open-source work with strong comp
Writer
Best for: Professionals interested in Writer
Ratings
ChainguardWriter
4.5
3.5
Overall
4.2
2.7
Work-Life Balance
4.3
3.6
Culture & Values
4.2
3.5
Comp & Benefits
4.1
3.3
Senior Mgmt
4.0
3.3
Career Opps
👍 88% Recommend
👤 90% CEO Approval (Dan Lorenc)
👍 70% Recommend
👤 74% CEO Approval (CEO)
Culture Values
Chainguard only
🌐 Remote-Friendly💎 Strong Comp & Equity⚖️ Work-Life Balance
Writer only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate
Shared
🔓 Open Source⚙️ Engineering-Driven
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
Writer
- Real AI engineering with proprietary LLMs — not just wrapping OpenAI APIs
- Strong enterprise traction and visionary product direction
- Intense work culture with very high expectations and limited work-life balance
- Growing management layers creating organizational friction
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.
Writer
Writer — check Glassdoor for detailed reviews.
Open Roles
Chainguard — 63 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
27
💻 Engineering
24
📣 Marketing
3
📋 Product
2
🎨 Design
1
Writer — 49 jobs
💻 Engineering
16
💼 Sales / GTM
12
🎨 Design
1
⚙️ Operations
1
📋 Product
1
Summary
Chainguard scores 4.5/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 4.2 work-life balance rating. Writer scores 3.5/5.0 overall with a 2.7 WLB. That’s a 1.0-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Open Source, Engineering-Driven. Chainguard also emphasizes Remote-Friendly, Strong Comp & Equity, Work-Life Balance. Writer also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate.
On the hiring front, Chainguard has 63 open roles and Writer has 49 open roles.