Modal
Small (~110)
Scale AI
Large (~1,200)
Best For
Modal
Best for: Systems engineers who want to build developer-loved cloud infrastructure with elite teammates
Scale AI
Best for: Ambitious builders who want critical AI infrastructure work serving top-tier clients
Ratings
ModalScale AI
4.0
3.5
Overall
3.8
2.7
Work-Life Balance
4.2
2.9
Culture & Values
3.8
3.5
Comp & Benefits
4.0
2.8
Senior Mgmt
3.5
3.6
Career Opps
👍 82% Recommend
👤 88% CEO Approval (Erik Bernhardsson)
👍 56% Recommend
👤 60% CEO Approval (Alexandr Wang)
Culture Values
Modal only
🎧 Deep Work / Low Meetings🔓 Open Source🧩 Wears Many Hats
Scale AI only
🌱 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
Scale AI
- Building critical AI data infrastructure used by OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, and the US government
- Strong compensation for engineers — competitive base + equity
- Work-life balance rated 2.7/5 — long hours common during client deadlines
- Culture and values scored 2.9/5 — inconsistent management quality
Bottom Line
Modal
Choose Modal if you want world-class engineering peers and 50x revenue growth — but expect early-stage startup dynamics.
Scale AI
Choose Scale AI if you want to build data infrastructure for OpenAI and the US government — but expect long hours and inconsistent management.
Open Roles
Modal — 28 jobs
💻 Engineering
14
📣 Marketing
3
💼 Sales / GTM
3
🧠 ML / AI
2
⚙️ Operations
2
💰 Finance
1
Scale AI — 175 jobs
💻 Engineering
64
🧠 ML / AI
25
📋 Product
16
💼 Sales / GTM
14
⚙️ Operations
7
⚖️ Legal
5
📣 Marketing
4
📊 Data
2
💰 Finance
2
👤 HR / People
2
🎨 Design
1
🎧 Support
1
Summary
Modal scores 4.0/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.8 work-life balance rating. Scale AI scores 3.5/5.0 overall with a 2.7 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. Modal also emphasizes Deep Work / Low Meetings, Open Source, Wears Many Hats. Scale AI also emphasizes Learning & Growth.
On the hiring front, Modal has 28 open roles and Scale AI has 175 open roles.