Cognition
Medium (~300)
Navan
Large (~3,500)
Best For
Cognition
Best for: Elite engineers who want to build frontier AI coding agents and own a meaningful equity stake
Navan
Best for: Professionals interested in Navan
Ratings
CognitionNavan
3.8
4.0
Overall
3.2
3.7
Work-Life Balance
3.9
4.1
Culture & Values
3.8
4.0
Comp & Benefits
3.6
3.8
Senior Mgmt
3.6
3.8
Career Opps
👍 76% Recommend
👤 80% CEO Approval (Scott Wu)
👍 80% Recommend
👤 84% CEO Approval (CEO)
Culture Values
Cognition only
No unique values
Navan 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
Navan
- Strong career growth with managers who genuinely invest in your development
- AI-driven product with real market traction and meaningful work impact
- Frequent organizational shifts require high adaptability and resilience
- Intense workload with ambitious targets — pace isn't for everyone
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.
Navan
Navan — 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
Navan — 206 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
66
💻 Engineering
34
⚙️ Operations
9
📋 Product
7
⚖️ Legal
6
💰 Finance
4
👤 HR / People
3
📣 Marketing
3
📊 Data
1
🎨 Design
1
🧠 ML / AI
1
Summary
Cognition scores 3.8/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.2 work-life balance rating. Navan scores 4.0/5.0 overall with a 3.7 WLB. That’s a 0.2-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Ship Fast & Iterate, Strong Comp & Equity, Direct Product Impact. Navan also emphasizes Learning & Growth.
On the hiring front, Cognition has 62 open roles and Navan has 206 open roles.