OpenAI
Large (~3,500)
Scale AI
Large (~1,200)
Best For
OpenAI
Best for: Engineers who want to build frontier AI models at the company defining the industry, with elite compensation
Scale AI
Best for: Ambitious builders who want critical AI infrastructure work serving top-tier clients
Ratings
OpenAIScale AI
4.5
3.5
Overall
3.6
2.7
Work-Life Balance
4.6
2.9
Culture & Values
4.5
3.5
Comp & Benefits
4.3
2.8
Senior Mgmt
4.3
3.6
Career Opps
👍 90% Recommend
👤 95% CEO Approval (Sam Altman)
👍 56% Recommend
👤 60% CEO Approval (Alexandr Wang)
Culture Values
OpenAI only
💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Scale AI only
No unique values
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🌱 Learning & Growth🎯 Direct Product Impact
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
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
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.
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
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
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
OpenAI scores 4.5/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.6 work-life balance rating. Scale AI scores 3.5/5.0 overall with a 2.7 WLB. That’s a 1.0-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Ship Fast & Iterate, Learning & Growth, Direct Product Impact. OpenAI also emphasizes Strong Comp & Equity.
On the hiring front, OpenAI has 655 open roles and Scale AI has 175 open roles.