Backend Engineer, xAI

• All engineers and researchers are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates
• Expert knowledge of either Rust or C++
• Experience in designing, implementing, and maintaining horizontally scalable distributed systems
• Knowledge of service observability and reliability best practices
• Experience in operating commonly used databases such as PostgreSQL, Clickhouse, and CockroachDB

Desirable

• 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
• You will work on the team that is responsible for the backend services that power grok.com. Our team is based in Palo Alto and San Francisco. We focus on writing highly scalable and reliable services that can efficiently process tens of thousands of queries per second. The entire backend stack is written in Rust
• Join us in building AI-powered products that impact hundreds of millions worldwide. We’re looking for detail-oriented, action-driven self-starters with a passion for AI’s potential to change lives—no prior AI experience required, just a sharp mind and relentless drive
• As a Backend Engineer at xAI, you’ll ensure our production services run smoothly, scale effortlessly, and deliver exceptional user experiences, empowering our product and research teams to push AI innovation forward

• 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 minute interview (“phone interview”) during which a member of our team will ask some basic questions. If you clear the initial phone interview, you will enter the main process, which consists of 2 technical interviews and 1 project deep-dive interview:
• Practical coding assessment in a language of your choice
• Systems design hands-on: Demonstrate practical skills in a live problem-solving session
• Project deep-dive: Present and answer questions about exceptional work that you’ve done
• Meet and greet with the wider team
• Our goal is to finish the main process within one week. Final interviews will be conducted in person