Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Model Platform)

Perplexity; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 220,000 - 405,000; Full time

Job summary

Perplexity AI is seeking a deeply technical software engineer to own and evolve our model serving platform, connecting products and research systems to inference layers.

You will work at the intersection of distributed systems, AI products, and infrastructure, designing core abstractions and delivering production Rust and Python in a service handling hundreds of millions of requests daily.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience building and shipping large-scale systems with high reliability.
• Proficiency with backend languages (Python, Rust, C++, Go) and cloud infra (AWS, Kubernetes).
• BS, MS, or PhD in CS/Engineering or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the model serving platform that connects products and research systems with inference layers.
• Design core abstractions and lead high-conviction technical decisions for a production service.
• Write production Rust and Python for a service serving hundreds of millions of model requests daily.

Skills

Distributed systems

Backend engineering

Rust/Python proficiency

Cloud infrastructure

Education

BS/MS/PhD in CS/Engineering

Tools

Python

Rust

C++

Go

AWS

Kubernetes

Job description

About Perplexity AI

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.

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.

About The Role

Perplexity is looking for a deeply technical software engineer to own and evolve our model serving platform, which is responsible for connecting our products and research systems with our inference layers. This mission‑critical system gives teams one fast, reliable interface across providers.

You will work at the intersection of distributed systems, AI products, and infrastructure. You will make it dramatically easier for teams across Perplexity to adopt new models, run rigorous experiments, and ship dependable products.

The ideal candidate combines sound technical judgment forged in production systems with active curiosity around the rapidly changing capabilities and failure modes of frontier models. You will design core abstractions, lead high-conviction technical decisions, and write production Rust and Python for a service that serves hundreds of millions of model requests per day.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience building and shipping large-scale systems and services with high reliability, availability, and performance.
• Strong software engineering craft, with special care for developer experience and designing future‑proof systems that can evolve along with a rapidly advancing AI landscape.
• Proficiency with a general‑purpose backend language (Python, Rust, C++, Go) and cloud infrastructure (AWS, Kubernetes).
• BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, or related fields (or equivalent experience).

Compensation Range: $220K - $405K