Scale Engineer

Software Engineer, New Grad 2027

Software Engineer · Junior · Full Time

San FranciscoUSD 160k – 220k1w ago
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Role

What you'll do.

Join Cursor as a Software Engineer and help automate coding with AI-powered tools designed for professional developers. This new grad role offers the opportunity to own real product work across full-stack development—from UI to backend systems—on products like Cursor, Grok Bot, and Cloud Agents. Working within a flat, talent-dense organization, you'll develop delightful, high-correctness software systems while leveraging AI tools strategically, requiring a strong foundation in computer science fundamentals, shipped project experience, and first-principles thinking.

Responsibilities

  • Own Full-Stack Product Features End-to-End: Take complete ownership of features from conception through shipping, spanning frontend UI implementation through backend systems when needed. Drive features from initial prototyping through production release and iteration based on user feedback. Responsible for ensuring shipped work meets high standards of correctness, performance, and user experience.
  • Build AI-Enhanced Developer Tools: Contribute to products that leverage AI to enhance developer productivity (Cursor editor, Grok Bot, Cloud Agents). Strategically incorporate AI models and code generation capabilities while maintaining system correctness and reliability. Focus on creating user experiences that make AI assistance feel natural and trustworthy.
  • Design User Experiences for Engineers: Create delightful, intuitive interfaces and systems specifically designed for professional developer users. Apply first-principles thinking to understand programmer pain points and design solutions that feel natural to the engineering workflow. Raise the bar on design quality, accessibility, and developer experience across the product.
  • Collaborate Within High-Ownership Teams: Work alongside a small, talent-dense team in a flat organizational structure with minimal hierarchy. Take initiative in cross-functional discussions, contribute to architectural decisions, and actively participate in spirited debate about technical approaches. Own your learning and growth within a self-directed environment.
  • Maintain Code Quality and Attention to Detail: Write bulletproof, production-ready code with strong attention to edge cases, error handling, and performance. Participate in rigorous code reviews, maintain high testing standards, and continuously improve code correctness. Balance moving fast with shipping reliable software that instills confidence in users.
  • Drive Rapid Iteration and Shipping: Move quickly from prototype to polished product, learning from real user feedback. Ship contained features over days or weeks, then iterate based on usage patterns and user input. Build judgment about when to prioritize speed versus completeness, and when to leverage AI tools as productivity multipliers.

Qualifications

What we look for.

Technical

  • Full-Stack Development Fundamentals

    Strong grasp of end-to-end software development from UI/UX implementation through backend system design. Ability to make informed architectural decisions and understand trade-offs between frontend and backend solutions.

  • First-Principles Problem Solving

    Capacity to break down complex problems into fundamental components and reason about them systematically. Demonstrated ability to approach challenges with creative, original thinking rather than relying solely on existing patterns.

  • AI-Assisted Development Literacy

    Understanding of how to leverage AI tools (code generation, copilots, etc.) as productivity multipliers while maintaining correctness, security, and code quality standards. Must not sacrifice engineering rigor for velocity.

  • Software Quality Mindset

    Strong attention to detail with an emphasis on shipping bulletproof, production-ready code. Ability to balance velocity with correctness, writing thorough tests and handling edge cases thoughtfully.

Education

  • Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or Related Field

    Graduating Spring 2027 with a degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent technical discipline. Demonstrate solid fundamentals in algorithms, data structures, systems design, and software engineering principles.

Experience

  • Shipped Product or Notable Open Source Contribution

    Required: Demonstrated ability to build and ship complete projects. This may include published applications, open source contributions, internship projects, or shipped commercial features. Must be able to provide portfolio or code review materials during application.

  • Meaningful Prior Technical Challenge

    Evidence of tackling substantively difficult technical problems early in your career. This may come from internships, hackathons, personal projects, or equivalent industry experience that showcases problem-solving ability under constraints.

  • Rapid Learning and Ownership Orientation

    Track record of quickly acquiring new technical skills and taking full ownership of projects from conception through completion. Preferred candidates have demonstrated initiative, bias toward action, and responsibility for outcomes.

Skills

Required

  • JavaScript/TypeScript

    Primary language for Cursor's frontend and full-stack development. Must be comfortable building reactive UIs and understanding async patterns, type safety, and performance optimization.

  • React or Modern Frontend Framework

    Proficiency building component-based user interfaces with React or equivalent framework. Understanding of state management, hooks, performance optimization, and accessibility considerations.

  • System Design Thinking

    Ability to design scalable, maintainable systems considering performance, reliability, and user experience. Understanding of architectural patterns, API design, and integration between frontend and backend services.

  • Version Control & Collaboration

    Fluency with Git workflows, understanding of collaborative development practices, and ability to write clear commits and engage in code reviews. Essential for working within a small, talent-dense engineering team.

  • Product Taste and Attention to Detail

    Critical eye for user experience, performance, and code quality. Ability to identify and advocate for quality improvements, polish, and correctness in shipped features.

Preferred

  • Backend Development Experience

    Nice to have

    Familiarity with backend languages and frameworks (Python, Node.js, Rust, Go). Understanding of databases, APIs, authentication, and server-side architecture beneficial for full-stack ownership.

  • AI/LLM Integration Experience

    Nice to have

    Prior experience integrating language models or AI APIs into applications. Understanding of prompt engineering, token management, or AI-assisted code generation features.

  • DevOps and Deployment Knowledge

    Nice to have

    Familiarity with containerization, CI/CD pipelines, cloud platforms (AWS, GCP), or deployment processes. Helpful for understanding production systems and shipping code reliably.

  • Open Source Contribution

    Nice to have

    Active participation in open source projects demonstrates ability to collaborate asynchronously, understand code quality standards, and engage with broader developer communities.

  • Performance Optimization

    Nice to have

    Experience profiling applications, optimizing render performance, reducing bundle sizes, or improving query efficiency. Demonstrates attention to user experience and system efficiency.

Tech stack

Languages

TypeScriptJavaScriptPython

Frameworks

ReactNode.jsElectron

Databases

PostgreSQLRedis

Tools

GitGitHubVS Code / CursorDocker

Other

LLM APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)RESTful APIs and GraphQLAutomated Testing Frameworks

Compensation

Pay and benefits.

Base·USD 160,000 – 220,000

Equity·Stock options

Benefits

  • Equity Compensation

    Meaningful equity stake in Cursor as an early-stage company, aligning incentives with long-term success and giving you ownership in the product you build

  • Learning and Mentorship Culture

    Work alongside world-class engineers in a talent-dense environment. Access to continuous learning opportunities, architectural discussions, and collaborative problem-solving with experienced builders

  • High Ownership and Impact

    Take ownership of real product features used daily by thousands of developers. See direct impact of your work on the developer community and influence product direction within a flat organizational structure

  • Competitive Health and Wellness Benefits

    Comprehensive health insurance coverage including medical, dental, and vision. Access to wellness programs and mental health support

  • Flexible Work Environment

    Work in a collaborative office setting in San Francisco with flexibility around work arrangements. Enjoy a creative, fast-paced culture focused on shipping great products

  • Professional Development Budget

    Annual budget for conferences, courses, and professional development to grow your technical skills and stay current with industry trends

Process

Interview steps.

  1. 01

    Application Review and Portfolio Evaluation

    Submit your application with a link to a shipped product, GitHub repository, open source contribution, or live application that demonstrates your technical capabilities. Cursor's team will review your portfolio for shipping experience, code quality, and problem-solving approach. This is your opportunity to showcase the concrete work you've built.

  2. 02

    Technical Phone/Video Interviews (2-3 rounds)

    If your portfolio resonates, you'll complete 2-3 short technical assessments conducted remotely. These focus on your problem-solving methodology, first-principles thinking, and communication style. Expect discussion of projects you've shipped, how you approach ambiguous problems, and your understanding of software design principles. Not a leetcode gauntlet—interviewers want to understand how you think.

  3. 03

    Onsite Work Session

    If you progress past technicals, you'll visit Cursor's San Francisco office for a full day. You'll work on a small, real-world project with the team to demonstrate your ability to ship code, communicate, and integrate with the culture. This is hands-on collaboration, not whiteboarding—you'll use your editor and actually build something.

  4. 04

    Team Discussion and Culture Fit

    During the onsite, you'll meet the team, discuss ideas, and explore how you approach product taste, taste in code, and working within a high-ownership, flat organization. Conversations focus on your creativity, judgment, learning velocity, and fit with the Cursor culture of truth-seeking and bias toward shipping.

  5. 05

    Offer and Onboarding

    Successful candidates receive an offer including base salary, equity package, and benefits. Onboarding emphasizes rapid ramp-up with hands-on mentorship from experienced engineers and immediate ownership of impactful projects.

Full posting

Original listing.

Our mission is to automate coding. The first step in our journey is to build the best tool for professional programmers, using a combination of inventive research, design, and engineering. Our organization is very flat, and our team is small and talent dense. We particularly like people who are truth-seeking, passionate, and creative. We enjoy spirited debate, crazy ideas, and shipping code.

About the Role

We're hiring new grad engineers to join SpaceXAI software engineering teams. You'll own real product work on the surfaces our users live in every day: Grok Bot, Cloud Agents, Cursor and the systems underneath.

You will design, build, and ship delightful and bulletproof products and systems that engineers love to use every day. This role values a strong attention to details, first principles reasoning, and great taste. That means picking up concrete problems, driving them end to end (UI through a bit of backend when needed), and raising the bar on taste and correctness while you move fast.

You'll work alongside a small, talent-dense team with high ownership and little hierarchy. Strong fundamentals matter. So does judgment about when to use AI tools as leverage without giving up correctness.

You may be a fit if:

  • You're graduating in Spring 2027 (CS, software engineering, computer engineering, or a related technical field).

  • You've already built something great — an app, OSS, or shipped product we can open and review (required).

  • You blend strong engineering and AI tools as leverage without giving up correctness.

  • You learn fast, take ownership, and have already done something meaningfully hard early (internships or equivalent industry experience welcome).

Sample projects include:

  • Adding a small UI improvement so AI-generated code or PRs are easier to read and review

  • Turning a teammate’s rough idea into a working prototype over a few days, then iterating based on feedback

  • Shipping a contained feature (frontend + a bit of backend), then fixing bugs and making it feel smoother after people use it

Applying

If there appears to be a fit, we'll reach out to schedule 2–3 short technicals. After, we'll schedule an onsite in our office, where you'll work on a small project, discuss ideas, and meet the team.

In your application, please share an example of an exceptional technical project or product feature you've built that best demonstrates your technical capabilities (GitHub, live app, OSS, or shipped product).

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