GitLab
Large (~2,500)
Runway
Mid (~420)
Best For
GitLab
Best for: Engineers who want a fully remote, async-first culture with radical transparency
Runway
Best for: Creative technologists who want to pioneer AI video generation at the intersection of art and engineering
Ratings
GitLabRunway
3.9
4.5
Overall
3.9
4.0
Work-Life Balance
4.0
4.6
Culture & Values
3.8
4.3
Comp & Benefits
3.5
4.4
Senior Mgmt
3.7
4.2
Career Opps
👍 75% Recommend
👤 70% CEO Approval (Sid Sijbrandij)
👍 90% Recommend
👤 90% CEO Approval (Cristóbal Valenzuela)
Culture Values
GitLab only
📡 Async-First🪟 Transparent🔓 Open Source⚖️ Work-Life Balance
Runway only
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🎯 Direct Product Impact🌱 Learning & Growth🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate
Shared
🌐 Remote-Friendly
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
Runway
- Pioneer in AI video generation — Gen-3 Alpha is industry-leading
- Unique blend of art and engineering — creative culture values both
- Smaller team (~420) means limited specialization — engineers wear multiple hats
- AI video generation is an increasingly competitive space
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.
Runway
Choose Runway if you want to build Gen-3 Alpha at the art-meets-AI frontier — but the space is getting competitive.
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
Runway
No open roles currently listed
Summary
GitLab scores 3.9/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.9 work-life balance rating. Runway scores 4.5/5.0 overall with a 4.0 WLB. That’s a 0.6-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Remote-Friendly. GitLab also emphasizes Async-First, Transparent, Open Source, Work-Life Balance. Runway also emphasizes Engineering-Driven, Direct Product Impact, Learning & Growth, Ship Fast & Iterate.
On the hiring front, GitLab has 195 open roles and Runway has 0 open roles.