Perplexity AI
Mid (~500)
Vast AI
Small (~30)
Best For
Perplexity AI
Best for: Builders who thrive on speed and want massive user-facing impact at a rocketship
Vast AI
Best for: Scrappy generalists who want a front-row seat to the AI compute revolution
Ratings
Perplexity AIVast AI
4.7
5.0
Overall
3.3
3.8
Work-Life Balance
4.8
5.0
Culture & Values
4.5
5.0
Comp & Benefits
4.5
5.0
Senior Mgmt
4.2
5.0
Career Opps
👍 92% Recommend
👤 95% CEO Approval (Aravind Srinivas)
👍 100% Recommend
👤 100% CEO Approval (Jake Cannell)
Culture Values
Perplexity AI only
🎯 Direct Product Impact🌱 Learning & Growth
Vast AI only
🤝 Flat Hierarchy🧩 Wears Many Hats
Shared
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate⚙️ Engineering-Driven💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Pros & Cons
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
Vast AI
- Front-row seat to the AI compute revolution — demand for GPU cloud is surging
- Strong compensation and generous equity stakes for a bootstrapped startup
- Processes are still being defined — expect ad hoc workflows
- Intense workload — the team explicitly values high output
Bottom Line
Perplexity AI
Choose Perplexity if you want the fastest-growing AI product and huge per-engineer impact — but expect startup intensity.
Vast AI
Choose Vast AI if you want perfect Glassdoor scores and generous equity at a tiny GPU marketplace — but expect startup chaos.
Open Roles
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
Vast AI — 9 jobs
💻 Engineering
6
🧠 ML / AI
2
Summary
Perplexity AI scores 4.7/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.3 work-life balance rating. Vast AI scores 5.0/5.0 overall with a 3.8 WLB. That’s a 0.3-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Ship Fast & Iterate, Engineering-Driven, Strong Comp & Equity. Perplexity AI also emphasizes Direct Product Impact, Learning & Growth. Vast AI also emphasizes Flat Hierarchy, Wears Many Hats.
On the hiring front, Perplexity AI has 74 open roles and Vast AI has 9 open roles.