Databricks
Large (~7,000)
Helsing
Mid (~660)
Best For
Databricks
Best for: Data engineers who want strong comp and deep technical pedigree at scale
Helsing
Best for: AI/ML engineers motivated by national security and defense who want to apply frontier AI to high-stakes real-world problems in a mission-driven team
Ratings
DatabricksHelsing
4.1
4.0
Overall
3.9
3.6
Work-Life Balance
4.0
4.1
Culture & Values
4.3
4.0
Comp & Benefits
3.8
3.8
Senior Mgmt
3.9
3.8
Career Opps
👍 82% Recommend
👤 88% CEO Approval (Ali Ghodsi)
👍 80% Recommend
👤 84% CEO Approval (Gundbert Scherf)
Culture Values
Databricks only
🌈 Diverse & Inclusive
Helsing only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🌱 Learning & Growth💎 Strong Comp & Equity🎯 Direct Product Impact
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
Helsing
- Highest talent density of any tech company — world-class AI and engineering leadership
- Extremely important mission with rewarding impact and competitive salary
- Ridiculous expectations of work hours — high salaries do not mean constant overtime
- Some management not experienced enough to lead; lacking in performance feedback
Bottom Line
Databricks
Choose Databricks if you want elite data infrastructure work with strong equity — but brace for constant org changes.
Helsing
Strong engineering culture with a clear mission — but that mission (AI for defense) is not for everyone. Research the ethics carefully before applying; those aligned will find unusually meaningful work.
Open Roles
Databricks — 845 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
356
💻 Engineering
272
📋 Product
47
📣 Marketing
31
📊 Data
21
⚙️ Operations
18
🧠 ML / AI
11
👤 HR / People
10
💰 Finance
8
🎨 Design
6
⚖️ Legal
5
🎧 Support
1
Helsing — 103 jobs
💻 Engineering
51
🧠 ML / AI
8
⚙️ Operations
4
📋 Product
4
💰 Finance
3
🎨 Design
2
📣 Marketing
2
👤 HR / People
1
💼 Sales / GTM
1
🎧 Support
1
Summary
Databricks scores 4.1/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.9 work-life balance rating. Helsing scores 4.0/5.0 overall with a 3.6 WLB. That’s a 0.1-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Learning & Growth, Strong Comp & Equity, Direct Product Impact. Databricks also emphasizes Diverse & Inclusive. Helsing also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate.
On the hiring front, Databricks has 845 open roles and Helsing has 103 open roles.