Software Engineer - xAI Networking Software and Services
X.ai
About xAI
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
The Network Software and Services for AI (nssAI) team will build software, services, and frameworks which will be used by our customers - xAI’s Network Development Engineers - to design, deploy, operate, and monitor xAI’s network infrastructure. Our product will span across all the aspects of network management: metric collection, configuration management & deployment, zero-touch provisioning, network monitoring, and alarming & auto-remediation, among others. We are involved in all aspects of network design with an automation-first approach to ensure the xAI production network and all ancillary networks are operated with the highest degree of reliability. We build extensible frameworks to make it possible for network engineers to develop their case-specific automation rapidly and reliably through our foundational tools and services.
Location
The role is based in the offices of Palo Alto - California, Memphis - Tennessee or Dublin - Ireland. There will be travel expected to Palo Alto for inter team collaboration and the data center for hands-on experience using the software you write and identifying other opportunities of improvement.
Focus
- Building software and tools with extensive metrics coverage for some of the world’s largest GPU supercomputing network fabrics used for AI training and serving customer inference queries.
- Implement IaC best practices, enhancing deployment pipelines, and ensuring robust, secure service delivery across our production environments.
Ideal Experiences
- Deep experience collaborating with network engineers daily using extensive knowledge of network topologies, physical and logical, and network protocols.
- Expert knowledge and proven history with designing scalable and reliable software from the ground up that can build and orchestrate tens of thousands of network devices at lightning speeds.
- Ability to thrive in ambiguity, creating metrics that will help prioritize the focus of the team and your own.
Tech Stack
- Python
- Go
- TCP/IP
- BGP
- RDMA
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 an initial interview (45 minutes - 1 hour) 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 four technical interviews:
- Coding assessment in a language of your choice.
- Systems design: Translate high-level requirements into a scalable, fault-tolerant service.
- Systems hands-on: Demonstrate practical skills in a live problem-solving session.
- Project deep-dive: Present your past exceptional work to a small audience.
- Meet and greet with the wider team.
Our goal is to finish the main process within one week. We don’t rely on recruiters for assessments. Every application is reviewed by a member of our technical team. All interviews will be conducted via Google Meet.
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.