Scale AI
Large (~1,200)
Sierra
Large (~500)
Best For
Scale AI
Best for: Ambitious builders who want critical AI infrastructure work serving top-tier clients
Sierra
Best for: Builders who want to work with proven Salesforce and Google leadership on enterprise AI agents
Ratings
Scale AISierra
3.5
4.0
Overall
2.7
3.5
Work-Life Balance
2.9
4.1
Culture & Values
3.5
4.0
Comp & Benefits
2.8
3.8
Senior Mgmt
3.6
3.8
Career Opps
👍 56% Recommend
👤 60% CEO Approval (Alexandr Wang)
👍 80% Recommend
👤 84% CEO Approval (Bret Taylor)
Culture Values
Scale AI only
🎯 Direct Product Impact
Sierra only
💎 Strong Comp & Equity
Shared
⚙️ Engineering-Driven🌱 Learning & Growth🚀 Ship Fast & Iterate
Pros & Cons
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
Sierra
- Elite founders with proven track records
- Strong equity at $10B valuation
- In-person-first culture
- Competitive intensity may not suit everyone
Bottom Line
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.
Sierra
Choose Sierra if you want elite founders (Bret Taylor, Clay Bavor) and strong equity at a $10B enterprise AI company — but it's in-person-first and the competitive intensity won't suit everyone.
Open Roles
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
Sierra — 134 jobs
💻 Engineering
42
💼 Sales / GTM
27
📋 Product
15
👤 HR / People
7
🎨 Design
5
⚖️ Legal
5
📣 Marketing
5
⚙️ Operations
5
📊 Data
2
💰 Finance
1
Summary
Scale AI scores 3.5/5.0 on Glassdoor with a 2.7 work-life balance rating. Sierra scores 4.0/5.0 overall with a 3.5 WLB. That’s a 0.5-point gap on overall satisfaction.
Both companies share these culture values: Engineering-Driven, Learning & Growth, Ship Fast & Iterate. Scale AI also emphasizes Direct Product Impact. Sierra also emphasizes Strong Comp & Equity.
On the hiring front, Scale AI has 175 open roles and Sierra has 134 open roles.