Modal
Small (~110)
Poolside
Small (~150)
Best For
Modal
Best for: Systems engineers who want to build developer-loved cloud infrastructure with elite teammates
Poolside
Best for: AI researchers who want frontier code generation work with genuine remote flexibility and Paris offsites
Ratings
ModalPoolside
4.0
3.8
Overall
3.8
3.5
Work-Life Balance
4.2
3.9
Culture & Values
3.8
3.8
Comp & Benefits
4.0
3.6
Senior Mgmt
3.5
3.6
Career Opps
👍 82% Recommend
👤 88% CEO Approval (Erik Bernhardsson)
👍 76% Recommend
👤 80% CEO Approval (Jason Warner)
Culture Values
Modal only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🎧 Deep Work / Low Meetings🔓 Open Source🎯 Direct Product Impact
Poolside only
🌐 Remote-Friendly🤝 Flat Hierarchy🌱 Learning & Growth
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🧩 Wears Many Hats
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
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
Modal
Choose Modal if you want world-class engineering peers and 50x revenue growth — but expect early-stage startup dynamics.
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
Modal — 28 jobs
💻 Engineering
14
📣 Marketing
3
💼 Sales / GTM
3
🧠 ML / AI
2
⚙️ Operations
2
💰 Finance
1
Poolside — 12 jobs
💻 Engineering
9
📊 Data
2
🧠 ML / AI
1
Summary
Modal scores 4.0/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.8 work-life balance rating. Poolside scores 3.8/5.0 overall with a 3.5 WLB. That’s a 0.2-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Wears Many Hats. Modal also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate, Deep Work / Low Meetings, Open Source, Direct Product Impact. Poolside also emphasizes Remote-Friendly, Flat Hierarchy, Learning & Growth.
On the hiring front, Modal has 28 open roles and Poolside has 12 open roles.