Databricks
Large (~7,000)
Plaid
Mid (~800)
Best For
Databricks
Best for: Data engineers who want strong comp and deep technical pedigree at scale
Plaid
Best for: Engineers who want transparent leadership and real fintech impact at a top-rated company
Ratings
DatabricksPlaid
4.1
4.6
Overall
3.9
4.2
Work-Life Balance
4.0
4.2
Culture & Values
4.3
4.1
Comp & Benefits
3.8
4.0
Senior Mgmt
3.9
3.9
Career Opps
👍 82% Recommend
👤 88% CEO Approval (Ali Ghodsi)
👍 91% Recommend
👤 83% CEO Approval (Zach Perret)
Culture Values
Databricks only
💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Plaid only
🪟 Transparent🛡️ Safe to Fail
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🌱 Learning & Growth🌈 Diverse & Inclusive🎯 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
Plaid
- 91% of employees recommend — highly accessible and transparent senior leadership
- Strong engineering culture with competitive compensation (4.1/5 comp rating) and real product impact
- Organizational changes can create uncertainty as the company scales
- Career opportunities rated 3.9/5 — growth paths may vary by department
Bottom Line
Databricks
Choose Databricks if you want elite data infrastructure work with strong equity — but brace for constant org changes.
Plaid
Choose Plaid if you want top-tier engineering culture, transparent leadership, and real fintech impact — but expect some growing pains as the company navigates organizational change.
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
Plaid — 94 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
28
💻 Engineering
24
📋 Product
11
📣 Marketing
7
📊 Data
4
🎨 Design
2
💰 Finance
2
⚖️ Legal
2
🧠 ML / AI
2
⚙️ Operations
2
👤 HR / People
1
Summary
Databricks scores 4.1/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.9 work-life balance rating. Plaid scores 4.6/5.0 overall with a 4.2 WLB. That’s a 0.5-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Learning & Growth, Diverse & Inclusive, Direct Product Impact. Databricks also emphasizes Strong Comp & Equity. Plaid also emphasizes Transparent, Safe to Fail.
On the hiring front, Databricks has 842 open roles and Plaid has 94 open roles.