Rust/C++ Backend Engineer - Enterprise Agent

xAI; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 440,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Short & long-term disability insurance

Life insurance

Various discounts and perks

Job summary

A cutting-edge AI company in California is looking for a skilled engineer with expert knowledge in Rust or C++. The ideal candidate will have experience designing distributed systems and a solid understanding of observability best practices. This role offers an annual salary range of $180,000 – $440,000 USD, along with comprehensive benefits including equity, medical coverage, and a retirement plan. The perfect fit will thrive in a hands-on environment and be ready to tackle challenging engineering problems.

Qualifications

• Expert knowledge of Rust or C++.
• Experience in designing, implementing, and maintaining distributed systems.
• Knowledge of service observability and reliability best practices.
• Experience in using PostgreSQL, Clickhouse, or CockroachDB.

Skills

Expert knowledge of Rust

Expert knowledge of C++

Experience in designing distributed systems

Knowledge of service observability best practices

Experience with PostgreSQL

Experience with Clickhouse

Experience with CockroachDB

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

TypeScript

gRPC

Job description

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

About the team

The Enterprise Agents Engineering Team at xAI is a team of builders solving the hardest problems in applied AI: integrating with messy systems, orchestrating complex workflows, and harnessing AI to transform business operations. We build full‑stack solutions with ownership of end‑to‑end product execution from ideation to deployment, collaborating closely with our team to incorporate cutting‑edge AI advancements into robust and reliable user‑centric solutions. Through an iterative development process, we work hand‑in‑hand with customers to gather feedback, refine features, and evolve products to address real‑world challenges.

About the role

An ideal candidate meets at least the following requirements:

• Expert knowledge of either Rust or C++
• Experience in designing, implementing, and maintaining reliable and horizontally scalable distributed systems
• Knowledge of service observability and reliability best practices
• Experience in operating commonly used databases such as PostgreSQL, Clickhouse, and CockroachDB

Additionally, any of the below points will help a candidate stand out:

• Expert knowledge of Python
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and containerized applications
• Expert knowledge of TypeScript
• Expert knowledge of gRPC (unary, response streaming, bi‑directional streaming, REST mapping)
• Hands‑on experience with LLM APIs, embeddings, or RAG patterns
• Track record of delivering user‑facing software at scale

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‑minute interview (“phone interview”) during which a member of our team will ask some basic technical questions. If you clear the initial phone interview, you will enter the main process, which consists of at least two technical interviews:

• Coding interview in Rust or C++
• Distributed systems design interview

Annual Salary Range

$180,000 – $440,000 USD

Benefits

Base salary is just one part of our total rewards package at xAI, which also includes equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long‑term disability insurance, life insurance, and various other discounts and perks.

xAI is an equal opportunity employer.

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