Modal
Small (~110)
Tailscale
Small (~290)
Best For
Modal
Best for: Systems engineers who want to build developer-loved cloud infrastructure with elite teammates
Tailscale
Best for: Systems engineers who value location-equal pay, generous parental leave, and working on deeply technical networking problems
Ratings
ModalTailscale
4.0
4.4
Overall
3.8
4.5
Work-Life Balance
4.2
4.5
Culture & Values
3.8
4.4
Comp & Benefits
4.0
4.2
Senior Mgmt
3.5
4.2
Career Opps
👍 82% Recommend
👤 88% CEO Approval (Erik Bernhardsson)
👍 88% Recommend
👤 92% CEO Approval (Avery Pennarun)
Culture Values
Modal only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🎧 Deep Work / Low Meetings🔓 Open Source🎯 Direct Product Impact🧩 Wears Many Hats
Tailscale only
🌐 Remote-Friendly⚖️ Work-Life Balance💎 Strong Comp & Equity🌈 Diverse & Inclusive🪟 Transparent
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven
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
Tailscale
- Same pay worldwide with 26 weeks parental leave and genuine work-life balance
- Brilliant, nerdy CEO who deeply understands the tech — culture is intellectual and respectful
- Career progression limited — only 3.0/5 on career opportunities
- Middle management still developing — some growing pains as the org scales
Bottom Line
Modal
Choose Modal if you want world-class engineering peers and 50x revenue growth — but expect early-stage startup dynamics.
Tailscale
Intellectual, engineer-led culture with same pay worldwide and 26 weeks parental leave — but career progression is limited and middle management is still maturing.
Open Roles
Modal — 28 jobs
💻 Engineering
14
📣 Marketing
3
💼 Sales / GTM
3
🧠 ML / AI
2
⚙️ Operations
2
💰 Finance
1
Tailscale — 52 jobs
💻 Engineering
25
💼 Sales / GTM
11
⚙️ Operations
4
📋 Product
4
📊 Data
2
🎨 Design
2
📣 Marketing
2
Summary
Modal scores 4.0/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.8 work-life balance rating. Tailscale scores 4.4/5.0 overall with a 4.5 WLB. That’s a 0.4-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven. Modal also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate, Deep Work / Low Meetings, Open Source, Direct Product Impact, Wears Many Hats. Tailscale also emphasizes Remote-Friendly, Work-Life Balance, Strong Comp & Equity, Diverse & Inclusive, Transparent.
On the hiring front, Modal has 28 open roles and Tailscale has 52 open roles.