Software Engineer, Safety

xAI • Palo Alto, CA

73d • $200,000 - $350,000

About The Position

We are seeking a skilled and autonomous Software Engineer to join xAI’s Applied Safety team, where you will build and maintain advanced systems to ensure compliance with X’s Terms of Service and safeguard users from threats like abuse, spam, and fraud. In this role, you will architect scalable, distributed systems to process high-scale event data, drive innovative safety solutions, and collaborate cross-functionally to promote a secure and trusted global digital public square. Ideal candidates are generalists who thrive in fast-paced, 0-to-1 environments, prioritize shipping impactful code, and are passionate about delivering real-world results through engineering excellence.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in software engineering roles, with a focus on backend or data systems.
• Proven experience building and operating scalable software services in high-impact environments.
• Strong generalist skills, with familiarity in designing and working with distributed systems.
• A passion for 0-to-1 environments, with a track record of trailblazing novel engineering solutions.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Scala, Go, Scalding, or Python in building scalable, high-performance systems.
• Familiarity with safety or security challenges in large-scale platforms, such as abuse detection or fraud prevention.
• Proven ability to lead technical initiatives or drive cross-functional collaboration in dynamic settings.
• A proactive mindset, with a focus on shipping impactful features over minor tweaks.
• A passion for xAI’s mission to foster a secure and open digital public square.
• A sense of adaptability and a touch of humor to thrive in a fast-paced, startup-like environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain backend and data systems to support high-scale event processing for abuse detection, spam remediation, child safety, and related safety tooling.
• Architect scalable distributed systems capable of processing thousands of events per second to mitigate platform threats.
• Collaborate with engineering, product, and operations teams to address complex safety challenges and drive impactful solutions.
• Write clean, efficient code primarily in Scala and Go, utilizing Map-Reduce frameworks like Scalding and scripting in Python.
• Exercise autonomy in designing new systems and iterating on existing ones to achieve step-wise improvements in safety and performance.
• Potentially lead technical initiatives in critical areas such as payments risk or abuse mitigation.

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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees