Cognition
Medium (~300)
Cresta
Mid (~500)
Best For
Cognition
Best for: Elite engineers who want to build frontier AI coding agents and own a meaningful equity stake
Cresta
Best for: Professionals interested in Cresta
Ratings
CognitionCresta
3.8
4.6
Overall
3.2
3.7
Work-Life Balance
3.9
4.7
Culture & Values
3.8
4.6
Comp & Benefits
3.6
4.4
Senior Mgmt
3.6
4.4
Career Opps
👍 76% Recommend
👤 80% CEO Approval (Scott Wu)
👍 92% Recommend
👤 95% CEO Approval (CEO)
Culture Values
Cognition only
No unique values
Cresta only
🌱 Learning & Growth
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate💎 Strong Comp & Equity🎯 Direct Product Impact
Pros & Cons
Cognition
- Elite engineering team with strong equity
- Cutting-edge AI agent work
- High-intensity startup pace
- In-person SF expectations
Cresta
- World-class engineering talent with zero politics and deep individual ownership
- Strong comp with real equity upside — median $271k TC for US engineers
- Fast-paced culture can be at odds with work-life balance during sprints
- Hyper-growth means roles and processes are constantly evolving
Bottom Line
Cognition
Choose Cognition if you want world-class AI agent research (makers of Devin) with strong equity upside — but expect top-tier intensity and mandatory in-person in San Francisco.
Cresta
Cresta — check Glassdoor for detailed reviews.
Open Roles
Cognition — 62 jobs
💻 Engineering
21
💼 Sales / GTM
10
📊 Data
3
⚖️ Legal
2
⚙️ Operations
2
💰 Finance
1
👤 HR / People
1
📣 Marketing
1
🧠 ML / AI
1
Cresta — 120 jobs
💻 Engineering
48
💼 Sales / GTM
27
🧠 ML / AI
9
📣 Marketing
8
🎨 Design
6
💰 Finance
3
👤 HR / People
3
⚙️ Operations
3
📋 Product
3
📊 Data
1
Summary
Cognition scores 3.8/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.2 work-life balance rating. Cresta scores 4.6/5.0 overall with a 3.7 WLB. That’s a 0.8-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Ship Fast & Iterate, Strong Comp & Equity, Direct Product Impact. Cresta also emphasizes Learning & Growth.
On the hiring front, Cognition has 62 open roles and Cresta has 120 open roles.