Back to jobs
tags.new

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.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Notice

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at xAI? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

In 100 words or less, tell us about a piece of work you are most proud of.

Select...
Select...

If you are currently employed in the field, please tell us the name of your employer.

If you are currently employed in the field, please tell us your role including your seniority level (e.g. Software Engineer II).

If you have a public LinkedIn profile, please provide its URL.

If you have a public X profile, please provide its URL.

If you have a Google Scholar page, please provide its URL.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in xAI’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.