Cognition
Medium (~300)
OpenAI
Large (~3,500)
Best For
Cognition
Best for: Elite engineers who want to build frontier AI coding agents and own a meaningful equity stake
OpenAI
Best for: Engineers who want to build frontier AI models at the company defining the industry, with elite compensation
Ratings
CognitionOpenAI
3.8
4.5
Overall
3.2
3.6
Work-Life Balance
3.9
4.6
Culture & Values
3.8
4.5
Comp & Benefits
3.6
4.3
Senior Mgmt
3.6
4.3
Career Opps
👍 76% Recommend
👤 80% CEO Approval (Scott Wu)
👍 90% Recommend
👤 95% CEO Approval (Sam Altman)
Culture Values
Cognition only
No unique values
OpenAI 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
OpenAI
- Cutting-edge frontier AI research with world-class colleagues
- Elite compensation — top-tier TC and equity packages
- High-intensity environment — long hours and intense pace are the norm
- Internal politics and rapid org changes as the company scales
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.
OpenAI
High-intensity, mission-driven culture with world-class colleagues and top-tier comp — but expect long hours, rapid org changes, and internal politics as the company scales.
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
OpenAI — 655 jobs
💻 Engineering
317
💼 Sales / GTM
57
📋 Product
30
📊 Data
28
🧠 ML / AI
28
📣 Marketing
24
⚙️ Operations
17
⚖️ Legal
13
🎨 Design
10
👤 HR / People
9
💰 Finance
7
🎧 Support
4
Summary
Cognition scores 3.8/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.2 work-life balance rating. OpenAI scores 4.5/5.0 overall with a 3.6 WLB. That’s a 0.7-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Ship Fast & Iterate, Strong Comp & Equity, Direct Product Impact. OpenAI also emphasizes Learning & Growth.
On the hiring front, Cognition has 62 open roles and OpenAI has 655 open roles.