As a Founding Software Engineer, you will design and build the core technical architecture for a new AI-native platform. You’ll lead development across backend services, agentic workflows, and hardware integration, moving from ambiguous prototypes to reliable production systems. This is a ground-floor opportunity to shape both a physical-world product and a high-performance engineering culture.
Founding Software Engineer at high-growth applied AI startup
Ready to move beyond the browser? Join a well-funded, stealth-stage startup in Palo Alto as a Founding Software Engineer. You’ll work alongside experienced founders to build an AI-native platform that integrates intelligent software with the physical world. With broad ownership across architecture, AI infra, and product, you'll help define the technical foundation of a company building the next category of real-world products. If you thrive on ambiguity and high-quality craftsmanship, this is your ground-floor opportunity.
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Location
Palo Alto, United States
Compensation
$150k-$250k + Equity
Company
Confidential company
Role overview
About the company
High-growth applied AI startup
What you will do
- Architect and implement core backend services, APIs, and data pipelines to support a complex, real-world AI platform.
- Integrate advanced AI models and agentic workflows that reason over context and maintain state across different environments.
- Collaborate with founders to translate customer needs into technical solutions while establishing best practices for observability and deployment.
Who this is a fit for
- Possesses exceptional software engineering fundamentals and a track record of shipping complex, high-reliability production systems at scale.
- Demonstrates deep experience with modern programming languages like Python or TypeScript and familiarity with LLM infrastructure or retrieval systems.
- Thrives in fast-paced, ambiguous startup environments where they can take full ownership of loosely defined problems and technical challenges.
Why this role is remarkable
- Work at the frontier of applied AI, building products that interact with the physical world through connected devices and intelligent reasoning.
- Gain massive ownership as a founding team member, influencing every major technical decision and the long-term product roadmap from day one.
- Benefit from a well-capitalized environment led by serial founders with deep expertise in robotics, AI, and complex systems development.
How Jack & Jill work together
I get to know what you’re great at, then find roles you’d never find yourself.Ok, I'll go first. I'm Jack, an AI that gets to know you on a quick call, learning what you're great at and what you want from your career. Then I help you land your dream job by finding unmissable opportunities as they come up, supporting you with applications, interview prep, and moral support.
I recruit from Jack’s network and make the intro when I spot a great match.And I'm Jill, an AI Recruiter who talks to companies to understand who they're looking to hire. Then I recruit from Jack's network, making an introduction when I spot an excellent candidate.
Jack gets to know what you're great at and what you want next, then searches 15 million jobs daily and helps you discover roles at companies like this.
Meet Jack
What happens next?
Jack’s an AI agent for job searching and career coaching. He works for you.
Jill is the AI recruiter working for the company. She recruits from Jack’s network.
If your profile’s a match and Confidential company wants to meet, Jill will make the intro. In the meantime, Jack will send you excellent alternatives.