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Backend Engineer, X Chat

Palo Alto, CA

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.

Who We Are

We're building X Chat, a groundbreaking end-to-end encrypted chat platform to revolutionize secure communication. Our mission is to empower users with privacy and freedom of speech, fostering open, diverse conversations within the X ecosystem.

We Value

  • Writing clean, efficient code over excessive documentation
  • Shipping impactful features over endless planning
  • Building transformative products over minor tweaks

Who You Are

We're seeking passionate backend engineers with:

  • 3+ years of experience in large-scale, high-throughput distributed systems
  • Expertise in Go, Python, or Java, with strong problem-solving skills
  • Proven track record of delivering secure, user-facing features
  • Experience with encryption protocols (e.g., Signal Protocol) and secure messaging systems
  • Proficiency in designing scalable backend architectures (storage, caching, APIs)
  • Knowledge of performance optimization, fault tolerance, and low-latency systems
  • Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)

What You’ll Do

  • Build and scale X Chat’s secure, encrypted backend infrastructure
  • Collaborate in a fast-paced, open environment to design and ship features
  • Identify and resolve system bottlenecks and security vulnerabilities
  • Own end-to-end solutions, from architecture to deployment
  • Optimize performance for real-time, low-latency messaging
  • Work across the stack to deliver a seamless, secure user experience

Why Join Us

Be part of a team shaping the future of private communication. Your work will impact millions, ensuring their conversations remain secure and free. If you’re driven by impact and innovation, we want to hear from you.

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 containerised applications,

  • Expert knowledge of TypeScript,

  • Expert knowledge of gRPC (unary, response streaming, bi-directional streaming, REST mapping).

Locations

We hire engineers  in Palo Alto. We usually work from the office 5 days a week.

Annual Salary Range

$180,000 - $440,000 USD

xAI is an equal opportunity employer.

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