GitLab
Large (~2,500)
Helsing
Mid (~660)
Best For
GitLab
Best for: Engineers who want a fully remote, async-first culture with radical transparency
Helsing
Best for: AI/ML engineers motivated by national security and defense who want to apply frontier AI to high-stakes real-world problems in a mission-driven team
Ratings
GitLabHelsing
3.9
4.0
Overall
3.9
3.6
Work-Life Balance
4.0
4.1
Culture & Values
3.8
4.0
Comp & Benefits
3.5
3.8
Senior Mgmt
3.7
3.8
Career Opps
👍 75% Recommend
👤 70% CEO Approval (Sid Sijbrandij)
👍 80% Recommend
👤 84% CEO Approval (Gundbert Scherf)
Culture Values
GitLab only
🌐 Remote-Friendly📡 Async-First🪟 Transparent🔓 Open Source⚖️ Work-Life Balance
Helsing only
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🎯 Direct Product Impact💎 Strong Comp & Equity🌱 Learning & Growth
Shared
None
Pros & Cons
GitLab
- Best-in-class all-remote culture — truly async-first with genuine flexibility
- Radically transparent company with a public handbook and open processes
- Revenue organization has seen quota chaos and low morale
- Some leadership instability at the C-suite level
Helsing
- Highest talent density of any tech company — world-class AI and engineering leadership
- Extremely important mission with rewarding impact and competitive salary
- Ridiculous expectations of work hours — high salaries do not mean constant overtime
- Some management not experienced enough to lead; lacking in performance feedback
Bottom Line
GitLab
Choose GitLab if you want the gold standard of all-remote work with public handbook and async processes — but expect bureaucracy at scale and comp below top-tier.
Helsing
Strong engineering culture with a clear mission — but that mission (AI for defense) is not for everyone. Research the ethics carefully before applying; those aligned will find unusually meaningful work.
Open Roles
GitLab — 195 jobs
💻 Engineering
79
💼 Sales / GTM
67
📋 Product
10
⚖️ Legal
5
📊 Data
4
🎨 Design
4
📣 Marketing
4
👤 HR / People
2
⚙️ Operations
2
Helsing — 103 jobs
💻 Engineering
53
🧠 ML / AI
8
💰 Finance
3
⚙️ Operations
3
📋 Product
3
👤 HR / People
2
📣 Marketing
2
🎨 Design
1
⚖️ Legal
1
💼 Sales / GTM
1
🎧 Support
1
Summary
GitLab scores 3.9/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.9 work-life balance rating. Helsing scores 4.0/5.0 overall with a 3.6 WLB. That’s a 0.1-point gap on overall satisfaction.
On the hiring front, GitLab has 195 open roles and Helsing has 103 open roles.