Hugging Face
Small (~400)
Poolside
Small (~150)
Best For
Hugging Face
Best for: Open-source enthusiasts who value remote flexibility over top comp
Poolside
Best for: AI researchers who want frontier code generation work with genuine remote flexibility and Paris offsites
Ratings
Hugging FacePoolside
3.8
3.8
Overall
4.1
3.5
Work-Life Balance
4.2
3.9
Culture & Values
3.4
3.8
Comp & Benefits
3.6
3.6
Senior Mgmt
3.5
3.6
Career Opps
👍 78% Recommend
👤 85% CEO Approval (Clement Delangue)
👍 76% Recommend
👤 80% CEO Approval (Jason Warner)
Culture Values
Hugging Face only
🔓 Open Source🕐 Flexible Hours🪟 Transparent📡 Async-First
Poolside only
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🌱 Learning & Growth
Shared
🤝 Flat Hierarchy🌐 Remote-Friendly🧩 Wears Many Hats
Pros & Cons
Hugging Face
- True open-source DNA — you work on things millions of developers actually use
- Remote-first and async culture that actually works across time zones
- Below-market comp compared to FAANG
- Career progression is unclear — no well-defined ladder
Poolside
- Remote-first with monthly Paris gatherings
- Cutting-edge code generation research
- Early-stage with limited structure
- Comp may trail larger AI labs
Bottom Line
Hugging Face
Choose Hugging Face if you want to build tools millions of ML devs use with true remote freedom — but comp lags FAANG.
Poolside
Choose Poolside if you want cutting-edge code AI research on a remote-first flat team (ex-GitHub CTO leadership) — but expect early-stage ambiguity and comp that trails the larger AI labs.
Open Roles
Hugging Face — 9 jobs
🧠 ML / AI
6
💻 Engineering
2
Poolside — 12 jobs
💻 Engineering
9
📊 Data
2
🧠 ML / AI
1
Summary
Hugging Face scores 3.8/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 4.1 work-life balance rating. Poolside scores 3.8/5.0 overall with a 3.5 WLB. They’re tied on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Flat Hierarchy, Remote-Friendly, Wears Many Hats. Hugging Face also emphasizes Open Source, Flexible Hours, Transparent, Async-First. Poolside also emphasizes Engineering-Driven, Learning & Growth.
On the hiring front, Hugging Face has 9 open roles and Poolside has 12 open roles.