Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Computer)
Software Engineer · Senior · Full Time
Opens Perplexity AI's application page
Role
What you'll do.
Perplexity AI is seeking a Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer) to build innovative AI-powered products that transform knowledge into action. The ideal candidate will be a passionate engineer who can design, implement, and ship complex systems for the Computer product, working across product, infrastructure, and cutting-edge technology domains.
Responsibilities
- Product System Development: Design, build, and own product and platform systems for Computer AI product
- End-to-End Project Leadership: Lead features and products from problem definition through technical design, implementation, and launch
- Continuous Improvement: Iteratively solve complex technical challenges and optimize systems
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with engineers, product managers, designers, data scientists, and go-to-market teams
- AI System Design: Build sophisticated systems accounting for AI nuances including agents, context, evaluation, personalization, and ground truth
Qualifications
What we look for.
Technical
Programming Proficiency
Minimum 4 years of professional software engineering experience
Language Expertise
Strong skills in at least one general-purpose programming language
System Architecture
Experience building scalable production systems
Education
Computer Science
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field preferred
Experience
Software Development
Proven track record of shipping complex technical products
AI Technology
Demonstrated experience or strong interest in AI product development
Skills
Required
Programming Languages
Proficiency in at least one general-purpose language like Python, Go, TypeScript, JavaScript, Swift, Rust, Java, or C++
System Design
Experience building and operating production systems at meaningful scale
Product Thinking
Strong ability to translate user problems into effective technical solutions
AI Product Adoption
Genuine interest and quick learning in AI technologies
Preferred
AI Technologies
Nice to haveExperience with LLMs, AI agents, retrieval systems, personalization, or evaluation frameworks
Startup Experience
Nice to haveBackground in fast-growing startups or high-ownership engineering teams
Entrepreneurial Background
Nice to haveFounded a company or significant technical initiative
Tech stack
Languages
Frameworks
Databases
Tools
Other
Compensation
Pay and benefits.
Base·USD 220,000 – 405,000
Equity·Stock options
Benefits
Equity
Stock options package for company growth participation
Innovation Culture
Opportunity to work on cutting-edge AI technologies
Entrepreneurial Environment
High-ownership team with founder-like approach
Learning Opportunity
Work with highly talented peers in AI research and development
Process
Interview steps.
- 01
Initial Screening
Resume and background review
- 02
Technical Phone Screen
Discussion of technical skills and experience
- 03
Technical Interview
Coding challenges and system design assessment
- 04
Onsite/Virtual Interviews
Multiple rounds with engineering team members
- 05
Final Leadership Interview
Alignment with company mission and culture
Full posting
Original listing.
By applying to this role, you will be considered for engineering roles across all teams at Perplexity.
We are hiring builders to join our highly leveraged engineering team for creating new products that innovate and accelerate human productivity
In 2026, we launched Computer, the defining product for the new era of agentic AI. We’ve scaled beyond the millions of people using Perplexity every day for research, shopping, investing and curiosity into a new paradigm of using AI to transform knowledge into action.
As an engineer at Perplexity, your role will be to build products and systems that define how AI empowers humans to think, decide and act. You’ll ship fast and work between product, infrastructure and frontier level advancements in technology.
Why Perplexity is Different
Craftsmanship. We build high quality, tasteful products targeting both the AI native and AI curious.
Ownership. You identify the problem, design the solution and ship it.
Entrepreneurship. We think like founders, act with urgency, and hustle to deliver for each other and our users.
Scholarship. Work among highly talented peers, pursuing knowledge and truth, upleveling ourselves, our teams, and our products.
Partnership. We amplify each others’ strengths, break down silos, and give selflessly to help our colleagues deliver excellence.
What you'll do
Design, build, and own product and platform systems for Computer
Lead features, projects and products end-to-end, from problem definition to technical design, implementation, and launch.
Hill climb on hard problems, continuously iterating to improve for ourselves and customers.
Partner closely with engineers, product managers, designers, data scientists, and go-to-market teams.
Build systems that take into account the nuances of AI, working with agents, context, evaluation, personalization and the ground truth.
Qualifications
4+ years of professional software engineering experience.
Strong experience in at least one general-purpose programming language such as Python, Go, TypeScript, JavaScript, Swift, Rust, Java, or C++.
Experience building and operating production systems at a meaningful scale.
Strong product judgment and the ability to translate user problems into simple, effective technical solutions.
Genuine interest and adoption of AI products and willingness to learn quickly.
Nice to have
Experience with LLMs, agents, retrieval systems, personalization, or evaluation frameworks.
Time spent at a fast-growing startup or on a high-ownership engineering team.
Founded a company or initiative.
Our Mission
Perplexity’s mission is to power curiosity. Curious people are the people who drive change in the world. Driving change is a continuous cycle of learning, building, and integrating.
Learn: curious people constantly learn new things by asking more. They question the status quo in their own expertise and they constantly learn outside of it. Research is essential to them and never ending.
Build: curious people make and create things, to show the world their new answers to problems no one else ever questioned. They take action on what they’ve learned. Makers need tools to create their products, their companies, their reality.
Integrate: they must interact with the world as it is to drive change and adoption. True leaders do not simply build something and hope. They must have armies of agents and workers who can constantly work in millions of small ways.
Repeat. For curious people this is a cycle that never ends.
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