Cognition
Medium (~300)
Vercel
Mid (~600)
Best For
Cognition
Best for: Elite engineers who want to build frontier AI coding agents and own a meaningful equity stake
Vercel
Best for: Frontend engineers who want to shape the future of web infrastructure
Ratings
CognitionVercel
3.8
3.9
Overall
3.2
3.4
Work-Life Balance
3.9
3.8
Culture & Values
3.8
4.0
Comp & Benefits
3.6
3.5
Senior Mgmt
3.6
3.5
Career Opps
👍 76% Recommend
👤 80% CEO Approval (Scott Wu)
👍 72% Recommend
👤 78% CEO Approval (Guillermo Rauch)
Culture Values
Cognition only
💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Vercel only
🔓 Open Source
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🎯 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
Vercel
- Building the future of web infrastructure — Next.js, Turbopack, edge runtime
- Strong open-source culture — Next.js, Turbopack, and SWC used by millions
- High expectations and fast pace can lead to burnout
- Leadership sets very high standards — the 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.
Vercel
Choose Vercel if you want to build Next.js and edge runtime — but the pace is relentless and standards are sky-high.
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
Vercel — 78 jobs
💻 Engineering
32
💼 Sales / GTM
17
💰 Finance
4
⚖️ Legal
3
🎧 Support
3
📣 Marketing
2
🎨 Design
1
👤 HR / People
1
⚙️ Operations
1
📋 Product
1
Summary
Cognition scores 3.8/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.2 work-life balance rating. Vercel scores 3.9/5.0 overall with a 3.4 WLB. That’s a 0.1-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Ship Fast & Iterate, Direct Product Impact. Cognition also emphasizes Strong Comp & Equity. Vercel also emphasizes Open Source.
On the hiring front, Cognition has 62 open roles and Vercel has 78 open roles.