Poolside
Small (~150)
Writer
Mid (~400)
Best For
Poolside
Best for: AI researchers who want frontier code generation work with genuine remote flexibility and Paris offsites
Writer
Best for: Professionals interested in Writer
Ratings
PoolsideWriter
3.8
3.5
Overall
3.5
2.7
Work-Life Balance
3.9
3.6
Culture & Values
3.8
3.5
Comp & Benefits
3.6
3.3
Senior Mgmt
3.6
3.3
Career Opps
👍 76% Recommend
👤 80% CEO Approval (Jason Warner)
👍 70% Recommend
👤 74% CEO Approval (CEO)
Culture Values
Poolside only
🌐 Remote-Friendly🤝 Flat Hierarchy🧩 Wears Many Hats🌱 Learning & Growth
Writer only
🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate🔓 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
Writer
- Real AI engineering with proprietary LLMs — not just wrapping OpenAI APIs
- Strong enterprise traction and visionary product direction
- Intense work culture with very high expectations and limited work-life balance
- Growing management layers creating organizational friction
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.
Writer
Writer — check Glassdoor for detailed reviews.
Open Roles
Poolside — 12 jobs
💻 Engineering
9
📊 Data
2
🧠 ML / AI
1
Writer — 49 jobs
💻 Engineering
16
💼 Sales / GTM
12
🎨 Design
1
⚙️ Operations
1
📋 Product
1
Summary
Poolside scores 3.8/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 3.5 work-life balance rating. Writer scores 3.5/5.0 overall with a 2.7 WLB. That’s a 0.3-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. Writer also emphasizes Ship Fast & Iterate, Open Source.
On the hiring front, Poolside has 12 open roles and Writer has 49 open roles.