Modal
Small (~110)
Perplexity AI
Mid (~500)
Best For
Modal
Best for: Systems engineers who want to build developer-loved cloud infrastructure with elite teammates
Perplexity AI
Best for: Builders who thrive on speed and want massive user-facing impact at a rocketship
Ratings
ModalPerplexity AI
4.0
4.7
Overall
3.8
3.3
Work-Life Balance
4.2
4.8
Culture & Values
3.8
4.5
Comp & Benefits
4.0
4.5
Senior Mgmt
3.5
4.2
Career Opps
👍 82% Recommend
👤 88% CEO Approval (Erik Bernhardsson)
👍 92% Recommend
👤 95% CEO Approval (Aravind Srinivas)
Culture Values
Modal only
🎧 Deep Work / Low Meetings🔓 Open Source🧩 Wears Many Hats
Perplexity AI only
💎 Strong Comp & Equity🌱 Learning & Growth
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🎯 Direct Product Impact
Pros & Cons
Modal
- World-class engineering team — includes creators of Luigi, Seaborn, and olympiad medalists
- High-impact product with 50x revenue growth — developers widely praise the platform
- Early-stage startup dynamics — roles shift quickly, requires high self-direction
- Limited HR infrastructure — benefits and career ladders still being developed
Perplexity AI
- Fastest-growing AI product — real users, real revenue, genuine product-market fit
- Small team, massive impact per engineer — your work ships to millions quickly
- Startup intensity — expect long hours and high expectations
- Growing pains as the team scales — roles and responsibilities shift frequently
Bottom Line
Modal
Choose Modal if you want world-class engineering peers and 50x revenue growth — but expect early-stage startup dynamics.
Perplexity AI
Choose Perplexity if you want the fastest-growing AI product and huge per-engineer impact — but expect startup intensity.
Open Roles
Modal — 28 jobs
💻 Engineering
14
📣 Marketing
3
💼 Sales / GTM
3
🧠 ML / AI
2
⚙️ Operations
2
💰 Finance
1
Perplexity AI — 74 jobs
💻 Engineering
37
🧠 ML / AI
8
📊 Data
5
⚖️ Legal
4
📣 Marketing
3
⚙️ Operations
3
💼 Sales / GTM
2
🎧 Support
2
👤 HR / People
1
📋 Product
1
Summary
Modal scores 4.0/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.8 work-life balance rating. Perplexity AI scores 4.7/5.0 overall with a 3.3 WLB. That’s a 0.7-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Ship Fast & Iterate, Direct Product Impact. Modal also emphasizes Deep Work / Low Meetings, Open Source, Wears Many Hats. Perplexity AI also emphasizes Strong Comp & Equity, Learning & Growth.
On the hiring front, Modal has 28 open roles and Perplexity AI has 74 open roles.