Founding Engineer

About this role

Join an early-stage consumer AI startup as a Founding Engineer building a real-time platform that makes AI interactions feel personal and present. You'll architect core systems from the ground up, work directly with founders, and help establish engineering culture while integrating advanced video and audio AI models.

What you'll do

• Build full-stack features collaborating with founders, designers, and engineering team
• Design and implement memory, retrieval, proactivity, and AI responsiveness systems
• Integrate real-time video generation and audio synthesis models from internal and third-party sources
• Set engineering quality standards and actively recruit world-class talent
• Use the product extensively to validate user value and ensure quality
• Establish technical foundations and architecture for early-stage product

What they're looking for

• Python (including typed scientific Python)
• Full-stack software engineering
• Computer Science fundamentals
• Real-time media systems (bonus)
• Video/vision model deployment (bonus)
• Audio synthesis (bonus)
• Memory systems architecture (bonus)
• AI-assisted development workflows (bonus)

Benefits

• Salary: $175,000–$225,000 USD annually
• Visa sponsorship available
• Founding team influence on product and culture
• On-site in San Francisco, CA
• Early-stage equity opportunity (implied)
• Direct collaboration with founders in fast-moving environment