Datadog
Large (~6,000)
Modal
Small (~110)
Best For
Datadog
Best for: Engineers who want strong comp and interesting scale challenges in cloud observability
Modal
Best for: Systems engineers who want to build developer-loved cloud infrastructure with elite teammates
Ratings
DatadogModal
4.2
4.0
Overall
3.8
3.8
Work-Life Balance
4.3
4.2
Culture & Values
4.4
3.8
Comp & Benefits
3.8
4.0
Senior Mgmt
4.0
3.5
Career Opps
👍 80% Recommend
👤 87% CEO Approval (Olivier Pomel)
👍 82% Recommend
👤 88% CEO Approval (Erik Bernhardsson)
Culture Values
Datadog only
🌱 Learning & Growth💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Modal only
🎧 Deep Work / Low Meetings🔓 Open Source🧩 Wears Many Hats
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🎯 Direct Product Impact
Pros & Cons
Datadog
- Excellent compensation and equity — stock has been a genuine wealth builder for early employees
- Strong engineering culture with smart coworkers and interesting technical challenges at scale
- Fast pace can lead to long hours and pressure to deliver, work-life balance varies by team
- Rapid growth has led to organizational growing pains and bureaucracy creeping in
Modal
- World-class engineering team — includes creators of Luigi, Seaborn, and olympiad medalists
- High-impact product with 50x revenue growth — developers widely praise the platform
- Early-stage startup dynamics — roles shift quickly, requires high self-direction
- Limited HR infrastructure — benefits and career ladders still being developed
Bottom Line
Datadog
Choose Datadog if you want strong comp, interesting scale challenges in observability, and a fast-paced engineering culture — but expect long hours and growing bureaucracy.
Modal
Choose Modal if you want world-class engineering peers and 50x revenue growth — but expect early-stage startup dynamics.
Open Roles
Datadog — 451 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
217
💻 Engineering
118
📋 Product
28
📣 Marketing
15
👤 HR / People
8
🧠 ML / AI
8
🎨 Design
7
⚙️ Operations
6
⚖️ Legal
3
📊 Data
1
💰 Finance
1
Modal — 27 jobs
💻 Engineering
12
👤 HR / People
3
💼 Sales / GTM
3
📣 Marketing
2
🧠 ML / AI
2
💰 Finance
1
⚙️ Operations
1
Summary
Datadog scores 4.2/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.8 work-life balance rating. Modal scores 4.0/5.0 overall with a 3.8 WLB. That’s a 0.2-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Ship Fast & Iterate, Direct Product Impact. Datadog also emphasizes Learning & Growth, Strong Comp & Equity. Modal also emphasizes Deep Work / Low Meetings, Open Source, Wears Many Hats.
On the hiring front, Datadog has 451 open roles and Modal has 27 open roles.