Software Engineer

About xAI

xAI’s mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge.

Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity.

We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company’s mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important.

All engineers and researchers are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.

About the Role

We’re looking for exceptional engineers who want to join us on a new project to integrate xAI’s advanced AI infrastructure deeply into the X Platform. X is used by around 600 million users every month. We’re bringing xAI’s technology stack to X and using it to transform the product experience. This is your chance to contribute to X  in a major way while leveraging all of the powerful AI tools and talented colleagues we have at xAI.

What You'll Do

• Be involved in the full array of xAI’s work, including ideation, experimentation, implementation, and operation of distributed systems, data pipelines and product features.


• Rebuild X’s core technology from first principles using xAI’s modern tech stack


• Develop large-scale distributed modern distributed systems with millions of QPS and deeply integrated world-class AI


• Transform X into the Everything App and build the operating system for humanity with Grok

Who You Are

• 2+ years of industry experience working with large-scale, high-throughput distributed systems and/or data pipelines


• Proficient in Golang, Rust, Python or similar languages


• (optional) Experience and familiarity with the modern data pipeline and ML infrastructure ecosystem. 


• (optional) Experience in the following areas: Search engines, sponsored search, contextual ads, performance ads, recommender systems, click predictions and ranking. 

Tech Stack 

• Golang, Python, Rust, gRPC

Interview Process

After submitting your application, the team reviews your CV and statement of exceptional work. If your application passes this stage, you will be invited to a 15-30 minutes phone interview, during which a member of our team will ask technical questions. If you clear the phone interview, you will proceed to next steps:

1. Deep dive coding challenge


2. Meet and greet with the wider team

Our goal is to complete the process within one week. All interviews will be conducted in person when applicable.

Location

The role is based in Palo Alto. Candidates are expected to be located near the Bay Area or open to relocation.

Annual Salary Range

$180,000 - $440,000 USD

xAI is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate based on race, color, religion, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, medical conditions, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other applicable legally protected characteristics. 

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act. 

For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:

xAI reasonably believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: 

• Access to information technology systems and confidential information, including proprietary and trade secret information, and/or user data;


• Interacting with internal and/or external clients and colleagues; and


• Exercising sound judgment.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Notice

xAI's mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity. We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company's mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important. All engineers and researchers are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.