Applied AI Engineer

xAI’s mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge.

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.

All engineers and researchers are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.

About the role

We’re seeking exceptional Applied AI Engineers to join a high-priority project that brings xAI’s cutting-edge expertise to the X platform, used by approximately 600 million monthly users. This is an exciting opportunity for individuals with a research engineer or research scientist background to apply their skills to recommendation systems, ranking algorithms, search technologies and many other systems. You’ll work at the intersection of advanced AI research and real-world impact, enhancing X’s ability to connect users with relevant content, accounts, and experiences.

What You'll Do

• Designing and architecting recommendation algorithms across various product surfaces in X (Timelines, Ads, Video, Search, Notifications)


• Leverage all of xAI’s infra and AI stacks to dramatically enhance the user experience on X


• Write data pipelines and training jobs that continuously learn from product data.


• Iterate and improve the algorithm by gathering user feedback in real time through experimentation


• Ensuring scalability and efficiency of machine learning systems

Who You Are

• Knowledge of data infrastructure like Kafka, Clickhouse, and Spark


• Experienced in implementing recommender systems and/or deep learning applications at industrial scale


• Skilled in one or more DL software frameworks such as JAX or PyTorch


• Exceptional candidates may be experienced in writing CUDA kernels

Interview Process

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 15-30 minutes phone interview, during which a member of our team will ask technical questions. If you clear the phone interview, you will proceed to next steps:

1. Deep dive coding challenge


2. Meet and greet with the wider team

Our goal is to complete the process within one week. All interviews will be conducted in person when applicable.

Location

The role is based in  Palo Alto. Candidates are expected to be located near the Bay Area or open to relocation.

Annual Salary Range

$180,000 - $440,000 USD

xAI is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate based on race, color, religion, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, medical conditions, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other applicable legally protected characteristics. 

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act. 

For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:

xAI reasonably believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: 

• Access to information technology systems and confidential information, including proprietary and trade secret information, and/or user data;


• Interacting with internal and/or external clients and colleagues; and


• Exercising sound judgment.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Notice