Databricks
Large (~7,000)
Vast AI
Small (~30)
Best For
Databricks
Best for: Data engineers who want strong comp and deep technical pedigree at scale
Vast AI
Best for: Scrappy generalists who want a front-row seat to the AI compute revolution
Ratings
DatabricksVast AI
4.1
5.0
Overall
3.9
4.5
Work-Life Balance
4.0
5.0
Culture & Values
4.3
5.0
Comp & Benefits
3.8
5.0
Senior Mgmt
3.9
5.0
Career Opps
👍 82% Recommend
👤 88% CEO Approval (Ali Ghodsi)
👍 100% Recommend
👤 100% CEO Approval (Jake Cannell)
Culture Values
Databricks only
🌱 Learning & Growth🌈 Diverse & Inclusive🎯 Direct Product Impact
Vast AI only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🤝 Flat Hierarchy🧩 Wears Many Hats
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven💎 Strong Comp & Equity
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
Vast AI
- Front-row seat to the AI compute revolution — demand for GPU cloud is surging
- Strong compensation and generous equity stakes for a bootstrapped startup
- Processes are still being defined — expect ad hoc workflows
- Intense workload — the team explicitly values high output
Bottom Line
Databricks
Choose Databricks if you want elite data infrastructure work with strong equity — but brace for constant org changes.
Vast AI
Choose Vast AI if you want perfect Glassdoor scores and generous equity at a tiny GPU marketplace — but expect startup chaos.
Open Roles
Databricks — 789 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
319
💻 Engineering
258
📋 Product
52
📊 Data
23
⚙️ Operations
17
🧠 ML / AI
15
💰 Finance
12
📣 Marketing
11
👤 HR / People
9
⚖️ Legal
5
🎨 Design
4
🎧 Support
1
Vast AI — 10 jobs
💻 Engineering
5
🧠 ML / AI
2
📊 Data
1