Software Engineer, Backend

Crazy Maple Studio; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Green card sponsorship

H-1B transfers welcome

Onsite in Sunnyvale, CA

Job summary

Crazy Maple Studio is hiring for a backend-focused role in Sunnyvale, CA. You will design and build AI-powered backend systems, connecting models via unified gateways and delivering scalable APIs for our ReelShort platform.

You’ll work directly with leadership on high-visibility experiments and own the reliability of your services. We value hands-on developers who move quickly, embrace ambiguity, and can ship fast.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years of experience building backend systems that real users depend on.
• Strong in at least one backend language (Python, TypeScript/Node.js, Go or Java).
• Solid experience with relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL) and caching/queues (Redis, SQS).
• Experience deploying services on AWS or GCP with containers or serverless and CI/CD setup.
• Kubernetes experience not required; lean infrastructure at this stage.
• Daily use of AI coding tools; fast learner, self-directed and able to work with ambiguity.
• Hands-on with LLM APIs, RAG, vector databases or agent frameworks is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design and build backend systems for new AI-powered apps from prototype to scale.
• Help choose and set up our stack, including deployment and CI/CD.
• Connect LLMs to products via a unified gateway to switch models and track costs.
• Build APIs for mobile apps and data foundations to measure impact.
• Own reliability: monitoring, debugging, and fixing issues.
• Explore new AI infra, turning findings into proposals.

Skills

Backend development

Python

TypeScript/Node.js

Go

Java

Relational databases

AWS/GCP

CI/CD

Kubernetes

AI tooling

Tools

PostgreSQL

MySQL

GitHub Actions

Terraform

Pulumi

Job description

Crazy Maple Studio is a rapidly growing entertainment and technology company with offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. We specialize in mobile gaming, digital reading, and streaming, bringing together a global team to create innovative, engaging entertainment experiences for audiences worldwide.

Our flagship platform, ReelShort, is a leading vertical streaming app in the U.S., with more than 8 million daily active users (DAU). Through its short-form episodic content, ReelShort delivers compelling stories designed for today’s mobile-first audiences. Our portfolio also includes Chapters, an interactive storytelling platform featuring immersive drama, fantasy, and romance experiences, and My Fiction, a platform dedicated to discovering and creating serialized romance stories.

In 2025, Crazy Maple Studio was recognized as one of the Global Most Loved Workplaces, reflecting our commitment to fostering a culture that values creativity, innovation, collaboration, and employee well-being.

At Crazy Maple Studio, we’re passionate about pushing creative boundaries, exploring new possibilities in digital entertainment, and building experiences that connect with audiences around the world.

Position Overview:

We’re looking for builders. We don’t want ticket-closers, and you won’t need a 40-page spec. We’re putting together a small vanguard team, led directly by our executive team, with one mission: find out what AI can really do for entertainment, then ship it.

ReelShort already entertains millions of people around the world. This team works outside the normal roadmap. You might take an idea on Monday, have a working demo by Friday, and put it in front of real users soon after. Some experiments will fail fast. The ones that work could become the company’s next big product.

If you’ve been waiting for a place where your work gets seen, your judgment is trusted, and your growth isn’t capped by a ladder, this is it.

Why This Team:

• You work directly with the leadership. There are no layers. Your ideas get heard, and your work is seen by the person who makes the call.
• Zero-to-one, every time. You build new things instead of maintaining old ones.
• Help shape the stack. This is a brand-new team with no legacy code. The tools we choose now are the ones we’ll scale on, and you’ll help choose them.
• AI is the job, not a side project. You’ll use the newest models and tools every day, and you’ll be paid to explore what comes next.
• Real ownership. You own what you build, from the first line of code to the user metrics after launch.
• We invest in your future here. We offer sponsorship for strong performers.

Responsibilities:

• Design and build the backend systems behind new AI-powered apps, from first prototype to serving real users at scale
• Help choose and set up our stack, from languages and databases to deployment and CI/CD
• Connect large language models (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, or open-source) to our products through a unified gateway, so we can switch models, control costs, and track spend by feature
• Build the APIs our mobile apps depend on, along with the data foundations that show us what’s working
• Own reliability for the services you build: monitoring, debugging, and fixing what breaks
• Try new AI infrastructure and research, and turn what you learn into proposals

• Around 2–5 years of experience building backend systems that real users depend on
• Strong in at least one backend language, such as Python, TypeScript (Node.js), Go, or Java
• Solid experience with relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or similar), plus caching and queues (Redis, SQS, Pub/Sub, or similar)
• Deployed services on AWS or GCP using containers or serverless (ECS, Cloud Run, Lambda, or similar), and set up CI/CD (GitHub Actions or similar)
• Kubernetes experience is not required. We keep infrastructure lean at this stage
• Daily user of AI coding tools, with the drive to go much deeper
• Fast learner who moves quickly and is comfortable with ambiguity
• Self-directed, low ego, and willing to do the unglamorous work a zero-to-one product needs
• Hands-on experience with LLM APIs, RAG, vector databases, or agent frameworks a plus
• Experience with LLM gateways (such as LiteLLM) or tracking inference costs a plus
• Infrastructure-as-code experience (Terraform, Pulumi, or similar) a plus
• Experience with media pipelines or AI image, video, or audio generation a plus
• Experience with machine learning or model fine-tuning a plus
• Additional language capability (Mandarin) a plus, though not required

Immigration Support

• H-1B transfers welcome
• On OPT or STEM OPT? We’ll register you for the H-1B lottery
• Green card sponsorship for strong performers
• Legal and filing fees are covered by the company

Logistics

• Five days a week, onsite in Sunnyvale, CA
• Occasional evening availability to sync with teams in other time zones

Crazy Maple Studio, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Our target salary range for this role is between $120,000 and $150,000. Actual starting salary within the range will depend on various considerations, including: work experience, skills, specializations, and training. This role also offers medical insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan, and a range of additional employeebenefits and perks.