What are the responsibilities and job description for the 2026 Summer PhD / Master's Residency - Machine Learning / Software Engineering, Bellwether position at X, The Moonshot Factory?
How You Will Make 10x Impact
https://www.wired.com/video/watch/astro-teller-captain-of-moonshots-at-x-speaks-at-wired25
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2019-10-10/alphabet-x-s-astro-teller-on-bloomberg-studio-1-0-video
The US base salary range for this position is $109,000 - $157,000 benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.
Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include benefits.
An Equal Opportunity Workplace
At X, we don't just accept difference - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products and our community. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.
If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact us at x-accommodation-request@x.team.
- Design and implement robust Python-based systems to process and analyze geospatial datasets.
- Extend and deploy ML models from initial development into high-performance production environments.
- Architect and code sophisticated monitoring tools to ensure backend reliability and performance.
- Partner with cross-functional teams to run cutting-edge experiments and define the next generation of developer tools in the geospatial-AI domain.
- Location: X's headquarters in Mountain View, CA
- Start Date(s): Year-round rolling basis
- Duration: a flexible 4 mo. to 1 year program based on project team needs and your availability. You must remain actively enrolled in your academic program throughout the residency.
- To be embedded into one of our confidential or public X projects
- To get paid competitively and receive benefits
- To be a part of a lively community of AI and ML Residents
- To attend tech-talks with AI leaders from across X
- Actively enrolled in a Master’s or PhD program in a STEM field (CS, Physics, Engineering, Math/Stats)
- Strong experience in Python and a deep interest in scalable architectures.
- Experience with Git, Terraform, and cloud deployment (GCP or AWS).
- Familiarity with software design patterns (e.g., Observer, Decorator, Producer/Consumer).
- Be willing and excited to learn new concepts and tactics across the full stack.
- Experience with LLMs, agentic design patterns, and frameworks like LangChain, MCP, or Google Vertex AI.
- Proven track record working with large-scale distributed backends.
- Experience writing and maintaining production-level code in a cloud-native environment.
https://www.wired.com/video/watch/astro-teller-captain-of-moonshots-at-x-speaks-at-wired25
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2019-10-10/alphabet-x-s-astro-teller-on-bloomberg-studio-1-0-video
The US base salary range for this position is $109,000 - $157,000 benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.
Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include benefits.
An Equal Opportunity Workplace
At X, we don't just accept difference - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products and our community. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.
If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact us at x-accommodation-request@x.team.
Salary : $109,000 - $157,000