Notion
Mid (~800)
OpenAI
Large (~3,500)
Best For
Notion
Best for: Product-obsessed engineers who care deeply about craft and want to build tools that millions use daily
OpenAI
Best for: Engineers who want to build frontier AI models at the company defining the industry, with elite compensation
Ratings
NotionOpenAI
4.4
4.5
Overall
4.2
3.6
Work-Life Balance
4.5
4.6
Culture & Values
4.4
4.5
Comp & Benefits
4.2
4.3
Senior Mgmt
4.2
4.3
Career Opps
👍 88% Recommend
👤 92% CEO Approval (Ivan Zhao)
👍 90% Recommend
👤 95% CEO Approval (Sam Altman)
Culture Values
Notion only
🪟 Transparent🌈 Diverse & Inclusive
OpenAI only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate
Shared
🎯 Direct Product Impact⚙️ Engineering-Driven🌱 Learning & Growth💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Pros & Cons
Notion
- Incredible product culture — everyone uses Notion daily and cares deeply
- Transparent leadership with accessible founders and high trust
- Fast pace can lead to burnout, especially during product pushes
- Hybrid required (3 days in-office) — not truly remote-friendly
OpenAI
- Cutting-edge frontier AI research with world-class colleagues
- Elite compensation — top-tier TC and equity packages
- High-intensity environment — long hours and intense pace are the norm
- Internal politics and rapid org changes as the company scales
Bottom Line
Notion
Strong product culture with a beloved CEO (96% approval) and genuine design sensibility — but hybrid-required and the pace can burn people out during product pushes.
OpenAI
High-intensity, mission-driven culture with world-class colleagues and top-tier comp — but expect long hours, rapid org changes, and internal politics as the company scales.
Open Roles
Notion — 142 jobs
💼 Sales / GTM
70
💻 Engineering
18
📣 Marketing
9
📊 Data
5
👤 HR / People
4
⚙️ Operations
4
📋 Product
4
🎧 Support
4
💰 Finance
3
🎨 Design
2
⚖️ Legal
1
OpenAI — 655 jobs
💻 Engineering
317
💼 Sales / GTM
57
📋 Product
30
📊 Data
28
🧠 ML / AI
28
📣 Marketing
24
⚙️ Operations
17
⚖️ Legal
13
🎨 Design
10
👤 HR / People
9
💰 Finance
7
🎧 Support
4
Summary
Notion scores 4.4/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 4.2 work-life balance rating. OpenAI scores 4.5/5.0 overall with a 3.6 WLB. That’s a 0.1-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Direct Product Impact, Engineering-Driven, Learning & Growth, Strong Comp & Equity. Notion also emphasizes Transparent, Diverse & Inclusive. OpenAI also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate.
On the hiring front, Notion has 142 open roles and OpenAI has 655 open roles.