GitLab
Large (~2,500)
Stripe
Large (~8,000)
Best For
GitLab
Best for: Engineers who want a fully remote, async-first culture with radical transparency
Stripe
Best for: Engineers who value code quality, writing culture, and fintech at the highest level
Ratings
GitLabStripe
3.9
4.0
Overall
3.9
3.6
Work-Life Balance
4.0
4.1
Culture & Values
3.8
4.5
Comp & Benefits
3.5
3.7
Senior Mgmt
3.7
3.8
Career Opps
👍 75% Recommend
👤 70% CEO Approval (Sid Sijbrandij)
👍 80% Recommend
👤 82% CEO Approval (Patrick Collison)
Culture Values
GitLab only
🌐 Remote-Friendly📡 Async-First🔓 Open Source⚖️ Work-Life Balance
Stripe only
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🌱 Learning & Growth💎 Strong Comp & Equity🎯 Direct Product Impact
Shared
🪟 Transparent
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
Stripe
- Engineering culture is elite — code quality and writing culture are best-in-class
- Top compensation in fintech — competitive base, equity, and benefits
- Perfectionism can slow shipping — high bar sometimes means slower velocity
- The 2022-23 layoffs affected morale — company has been rebuilding confidence
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.
Stripe
Choose Stripe if you want elite engineering culture with top comp — but perfectionism can slow shipping velocity.
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
Stripe — 490 jobs
💻 Engineering
118
💼 Sales / GTM
98
📋 Product
44
⚙️ Operations
39
📣 Marketing
34
💰 Finance
22
📊 Data
16
🎨 Design
15
⚖️ Legal
12
🧠 ML / AI
9
👤 HR / People
7
🎧 Support
4
Summary
GitLab scores 3.9/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.9 work-life balance rating. Stripe scores 4.0/5.0 overall with a 3.6 WLB. That’s a 0.1-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Transparent. GitLab also emphasizes Remote-Friendly, Async-First, Open Source, Work-Life Balance. Stripe also emphasizes Engineering-Driven, Learning & Growth, Strong Comp & Equity, Direct Product Impact.
On the hiring front, GitLab has 195 open roles and Stripe has 490 open roles.