Databricks
Large (~7,000)
OpenAI
Large (~3,500)
Best For
Databricks
Best for: Data engineers who want strong comp and deep technical pedigree at scale
OpenAI
Best for: Engineers who want to build frontier AI models at the company defining the industry, with elite compensation
Ratings
DatabricksOpenAI
4.1
4.5
Overall
3.9
3.6
Work-Life Balance
4.0
4.6
Culture & Values
4.3
4.5
Comp & Benefits
3.8
4.3
Senior Mgmt
3.9
4.3
Career Opps
👍 82% Recommend
👤 88% CEO Approval (Ali Ghodsi)
👍 90% Recommend
👤 95% CEO Approval (Sam Altman)
Culture Values
Databricks only
🌈 Diverse & Inclusive
OpenAI 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
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
Databricks
Choose Databricks if you want elite data infrastructure work with strong equity — but brace for constant org changes.
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
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
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
Databricks scores 4.1/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.9 work-life balance rating. OpenAI scores 4.5/5.0 overall with a 3.6 WLB. That’s a 0.4-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. OpenAI also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate.
On the hiring front, Databricks has 842 open roles and OpenAI has 655 open roles.