Helsing
Mid (~660)
OpenAI
Large (~3,500)
Best For
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
OpenAI
Best for: Engineers who want to build frontier AI models at the company defining the industry, with elite compensation
Ratings
HelsingOpenAI
4.0
4.5
Overall
3.6
3.6
Work-Life Balance
4.1
4.6
Culture & Values
4.0
4.5
Comp & Benefits
3.8
4.3
Senior Mgmt
3.8
4.3
Career Opps
👍 80% Recommend
👤 84% CEO Approval (Gundbert Scherf)
👍 90% Recommend
👤 95% CEO Approval (Sam Altman)
Culture Values
Helsing only
No unique values
OpenAI only
No unique values
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🎯 Direct Product Impact💎 Strong Comp & Equity🌱 Learning & Growth
Pros & Cons
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
OpenAI
- Cutting-edge frontier AI research with world-class colleagues
- Elite compensation — top-tier TC and equity packages
- High-intensity environment — long hours and intense pace are the norm
- Internal politics and rapid org changes as the company scales
Bottom Line
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.
OpenAI
High-intensity, mission-driven culture with world-class colleagues and top-tier comp — but expect long hours, rapid org changes, and internal politics as the company scales.
Open Roles
Helsing — 103 jobs
💻 Engineering
51
🧠 ML / AI
8
⚙️ Operations
4
📋 Product
4
💰 Finance
3
🎨 Design
2
📣 Marketing
2
👤 HR / People
1
💼 Sales / GTM
1
🎧 Support
1
OpenAI — 638 jobs
💻 Engineering
299
💼 Sales / GTM
56
🧠 ML / AI
31
📋 Product
31
📊 Data
28
📣 Marketing
24
⚙️ Operations
17
👤 HR / People
14
🎨 Design
10
⚖️ Legal
10
🎧 Support
5
💰 Finance
3
Summary
Helsing scores 4.0/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.6 work-life balance rating. OpenAI scores 4.5/5.0 overall with a 3.6 WLB. That’s a 0.5-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Ship Fast & Iterate, Direct Product Impact, Strong Comp & Equity, Learning & Growth.
On the hiring front, Helsing has 103 open roles and OpenAI has 638 open roles.