Fireworks AI
Small (~100)
Tailscale
Small (~290)
Best For
Fireworks AI
Best for: Engineers who want to work with ex-Meta AI infrastructure engineers on LLM inference
Tailscale
Best for: Professionals interested in Tailscale
Ratings
Fireworks AITailscale
4.2
4.4
Overall
3.3
4.5
Work-Life Balance
4.3
4.5
Culture & Values
4.2
4.4
Comp & Benefits
4.2
4.2
Senior Mgmt
4.0
4.2
Career Opps
👍 88% Recommend
👤 92% CEO Approval (CEO)
Culture Values
Fireworks AI only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🧩 Wears Many Hats🎧 Deep Work / Low Meetings🌱 Learning & Growth
Tailscale only
🌐 Remote-Friendly⚖️ Work-Life Balance💎 Strong Comp & Equity🌈 Diverse & Inclusive🪟 Transparent
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven
Pros & Cons
Fireworks AI
- World-class team of ex-Meta AI infrastructure engineers — technically very strong peers
- Working on LLM inference optimization which is one of the hottest areas in AI infrastructure
- Early-stage startup intensity with long hours expected and high performance bar
- Small team and rapidly evolving product means less structure, process, and career laddering
Tailscale
- Same pay worldwide with 26 weeks parental leave and genuine work-life balance
- Brilliant, nerdy CEO who deeply understands the tech — culture is intellectual and respectful
- Career progression limited — only 3.0/5 on career opportunities
- Middle management still developing — some growing pains as the org scales
Bottom Line
Fireworks AI
Choose Fireworks AI if you want to work with ex-Meta AI infrastructure engineers on cutting-edge LLM inference — but expect early-stage startup intensity and limited structure.
Tailscale
Tailscale — check Glassdoor for detailed reviews.
Open Roles
Fireworks AI — 28 jobs
💻 Engineering
9
💼 Sales / GTM
4
⚙️ Operations
2
👤 HR / People
1
⚖️ Legal
1
📣 Marketing
1
🧠 ML / AI
1
📋 Product
1
Tailscale — 44 jobs
💻 Engineering
25
📋 Product
6
💼 Sales / GTM
5
📊 Data
2
📣 Marketing
2
⚙️ Operations
2
Summary
Fireworks AI scores 4.2/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.3 work-life balance rating. Tailscale scores 4.4/5.0 overall with a 4.5 WLB. That’s a 0.2-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven. Fireworks AI also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate, Wears Many Hats, Deep Work / Low Meetings, Learning & Growth. Tailscale also emphasizes Remote-Friendly, Work-Life Balance, Strong Comp & Equity, Diverse & Inclusive, Transparent.
On the hiring front, Fireworks AI has 28 open roles and Tailscale has 44 open roles.