Databricks
Large (~7,000)
Grafana Labs
Large (~1,700)
Best For
Databricks
Best for: Data engineers who want strong comp and deep technical pedigree at scale
Grafana Labs
Best for: Engineers who want open-source impact with fully remote flexibility and strong WLB
Ratings
DatabricksGrafana Labs
4.1
4.1
Overall
3.9
4.3
Work-Life Balance
4.0
4.1
Culture & Values
4.3
4.0
Comp & Benefits
3.8
3.6
Senior Mgmt
3.9
3.8
Career Opps
👍 82% Recommend
👤 88% CEO Approval (Ali Ghodsi)
👍 78% Recommend
👤 71% CEO Approval (Raj Dutt)
Culture Values
Databricks only
💎 Strong Comp & Equity🌈 Diverse & Inclusive🎯 Direct Product Impact
Grafana Labs only
🌐 Remote-Friendly🔓 Open Source🪟 Transparent⚖️ Work-Life Balance
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🌱 Learning & Growth
Pros & Cons
Databricks
- Engineers who built Spark, Delta Lake, MLflow — deep technical pedigree
- Strong compensation and equity packages consistently above market
- Hypergrowth means org changes are constant — teams restructure frequently
- Some legacy Spark-era tech debt that can slow down new features
Grafana Labs
- 100% remote-first across 40+ countries with generous PTO (~30 days) and mandatory shutdown days
- Engineers rate it 4.9/5 — absurdly talented colleagues with strong open-source culture
- Career progression above staff level can be challenging with limited upward mobility
- Product management is sometimes marginalized with engineers holding disproportionate power
Bottom Line
Databricks
Choose Databricks if you want elite data infrastructure work with strong equity — but brace for constant org changes.
Grafana Labs
Choose Grafana Labs if you want deep open-source impact, fully remote flexibility, and excellent WLB — but expect limited career progression above staff level.
Open Roles
Databricks — 842 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
353
💻 Engineering
284
📋 Product
39
📣 Marketing
34
📊 Data
22
👤 HR / People
12
🧠 ML / AI
12
⚙️ Operations
11
🎨 Design
6
💰 Finance
5
⚖️ Legal
5
Grafana Labs — 149 jobs
💻 Engineering
92
💼 Sales / GTM
32
📣 Marketing
6
👤 HR / People
1
⚖️ Legal
1
⚙️ Operations
1
Summary
Databricks scores 4.1/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.9 work-life balance rating. Grafana Labs scores 4.1/5.0 overall with a 4.3 WLB. They’re tied on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Learning & Growth. Databricks also emphasizes Strong Comp & Equity, Diverse & Inclusive, Direct Product Impact. Grafana Labs also emphasizes Remote-Friendly, Open Source, Transparent, Work-Life Balance.
On the hiring front, Databricks has 842 open roles and Grafana Labs has 149 open roles.