Cognition
Medium (~300)
Vast AI
Small (~30)
Best For
Cognition
Best for: Elite engineers who want to build frontier AI coding agents and own a meaningful equity stake
Vast AI
Best for: Scrappy generalists who want a front-row seat to the AI compute revolution
Ratings
CognitionVast AI
3.8
5.0
Overall
3.2
3.8
Work-Life Balance
3.9
5.0
Culture & Values
3.8
5.0
Comp & Benefits
3.6
5.0
Senior Mgmt
3.6
5.0
Career Opps
👍 76% Recommend
👤 80% CEO Approval (Scott Wu)
👍 100% Recommend
👤 100% CEO Approval (Jake Cannell)
Culture Values
Cognition only
🎯 Direct Product Impact
Vast AI only
🤝 Flat Hierarchy🧩 Wears Many Hats
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Pros & Cons
Cognition
- Elite engineering team with strong equity
- Cutting-edge AI agent work
- High-intensity startup pace
- In-person SF expectations
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
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.
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
Cognition — 62 jobs
💻 Engineering
21
💼 Sales / GTM
10
📊 Data
3
⚖️ Legal
2
⚙️ Operations
2
💰 Finance
1
👤 HR / People
1
📣 Marketing
1
🧠 ML / AI
1
Vast AI — 9 jobs
💻 Engineering
6
🧠 ML / AI
2
Summary
Cognition scores 3.8/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.2 work-life balance rating. Vast AI scores 5.0/5.0 overall with a 3.8 WLB. That’s a 1.2-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Ship Fast & Iterate, Strong Comp & Equity. Cognition also emphasizes Direct Product Impact. Vast AI also emphasizes Flat Hierarchy, Wears Many Hats.
On the hiring front, Cognition has 62 open roles and Vast AI has 9 open roles.