Poolside
Small (~150)
Vercel
Mid (~600)
Best For
Poolside
Best for: AI researchers who want frontier code generation work with genuine remote flexibility and Paris offsites
Vercel
Best for: Frontend engineers who want to shape the future of web infrastructure
Ratings
PoolsideVercel
3.8
3.9
Overall
3.5
3.4
Work-Life Balance
3.9
3.8
Culture & Values
3.8
4.0
Comp & Benefits
3.6
3.5
Senior Mgmt
3.6
3.5
Career Opps
👍 76% Recommend
👤 80% CEO Approval (Jason Warner)
👍 72% Recommend
👤 78% CEO Approval (Guillermo Rauch)
Culture Values
Poolside only
🌐 Remote-Friendly🤝 Flat Hierarchy🧩 Wears Many Hats🌱 Learning & Growth
Vercel only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🎯 Direct Product Impact🔓 Open Source
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven
Pros & Cons
Poolside
- Remote-first with monthly Paris gatherings
- Cutting-edge code generation research
- Early-stage with limited structure
- Comp may trail larger AI labs
Vercel
- Building the future of web infrastructure — Next.js, Turbopack, edge runtime
- Strong open-source culture — Next.js, Turbopack, and SWC used by millions
- High expectations and fast pace can lead to burnout
- Leadership sets very high standards — the pace isn't for everyone
Bottom Line
Poolside
Choose Poolside if you want cutting-edge code AI research on a remote-first flat team (ex-GitHub CTO leadership) — but expect early-stage ambiguity and comp that trails the larger AI labs.
Vercel
Choose Vercel if you want to build Next.js and edge runtime — but the pace is relentless and standards are sky-high.
Open Roles
Poolside — 12 jobs
💻 Engineering
9
📊 Data
2
🧠 ML / AI
1
Vercel — 78 jobs
💻 Engineering
32
💼 Sales / GTM
17
💰 Finance
4
⚖️ Legal
3
🎧 Support
3
📣 Marketing
2
🎨 Design
1
👤 HR / People
1
⚙️ Operations
1
📋 Product
1
Summary
Poolside scores 3.8/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.5 work-life balance rating. Vercel scores 3.9/5.0 overall with a 3.4 WLB. That’s a 0.1-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven. Poolside also emphasizes Remote-Friendly, Flat Hierarchy, Wears Many Hats, Learning & Growth. Vercel also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate, Direct Product Impact, Open Source.
On the hiring front, Poolside has 12 open roles and Vercel has 78 open roles.