OpenAI
Large (~3,500)
Perplexity AI
Mid (~500)
Best For
OpenAI
Best for: Engineers who want to build frontier AI models at the company defining the industry, with elite compensation
Perplexity AI
Best for: Builders who thrive on speed and want massive user-facing impact at a rocketship
Ratings
OpenAIPerplexity AI
4.5
4.7
Overall
3.6
3.3
Work-Life Balance
4.6
4.8
Culture & Values
4.5
4.5
Comp & Benefits
4.3
4.5
Senior Mgmt
4.3
4.2
Career Opps
👍 90% Recommend
👤 95% CEO Approval (Sam Altman)
👍 92% Recommend
👤 95% CEO Approval (Aravind Srinivas)
Culture Values
OpenAI only
No unique values
Perplexity AI only
No unique values
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🌱 Learning & Growth🎯 Direct Product Impact💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Pros & Cons
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
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
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.
Perplexity AI
Choose Perplexity if you want the fastest-growing AI product and huge per-engineer impact — but expect startup intensity.
Open Roles
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
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
OpenAI scores 4.5/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.6 work-life balance rating. Perplexity AI scores 4.7/5.0 overall with a 3.3 WLB. That’s a 0.2-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Ship Fast & Iterate, Learning & Growth, Direct Product Impact, Strong Comp & Equity.
On the hiring front, OpenAI has 655 open roles and Perplexity AI has 74 open roles.