Software Engineer - Platform Infrastructure (Rust, C++)
xAI is hiring a Software Engineer - Platform Infrastructure (Rust, C++) in Palo Alto, United States. It pays $180k-$440k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on xAI.
Level's read on this job
- Level rates this software engineer role Builds AI ●●●●: the job is building AI systems.
- Pay on this posting starts 7% higher than the typical software engineer posting on Level.
- The posting mentions Rust, C and Kubernetes among its tools and skills.
- Level classes it as a senior role.
- xAI has 296 other open roles on Level.
AI in this role
Design and build large-scale distributed platform infrastructure to power supercomputing clusters for AI training.
SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today, SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary and expanding consciousness to the stars.
SpaceXSI is building Super Intelligence to help humanity understand the universe. Our teams are building the full Super Intelligence stack: from our Colossus supercomputers, to Grok models, to our suite of applications, including Grok Bot, Grok Build, Grok Imagine, Grok Voice, and X. We're creating a powerful flywheel where more compute trains better models, better models power more useful products, and what we learn from people using those products shapes what we build next.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Design, build, and implement a large-scale distributed system that powers one of the world's largest supercomputing clusters.
- Dive into the low-level stack to profile, debug, and optimize performance across diverse systems, including GPUs, Linux kernel, networking, and filesystems, to achieve peak efficiency.
- Collaborate on hardware, software, and algorithm co-design to push the boundaries of AI training.
- Maintain and innovate on our codebase to ensure scalability and reliability.
- Develop tools to enhance team productivity and streamline workflows.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Systems programming experience in C, C++, or Rust
- Computer systems fundamentals with a grasp of how computers execute code from transistors to high-level applications.
- Hands-on expertise with Kubernetes (K8s), including cluster architecture, pod lifecycle, networking (CNI), storage (CSI), service mesh, and production-grade operations
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Collaborate in a fast-paced, open environment to design and foundational systems.
- Strong debugging skills across the full stack — from kernel and OS up through container orchestration layers
- Deep knowledge of operating systems internals (process scheduling, memory management, file systems, and synchronization primitives)
- Proficiency in performance analysis, profiling, and low-level optimization techniques
- Solid understanding of computer networks and the TCP/IP stack
- Experience working with Linux kernel concepts or systems-level debugging tools (e.g., perf, gdb, strace, Wireshark)
- Proficiency deploying and managing workloads using Kubernetes manifests, Helm, Operators, and GitOps workflows
- Solid understanding of containerization technologies (Docker, containerd, crio) and their interaction with the Linux kernel
- Experience with observability and monitoring in distributed systems (Prometheus, Grafana, VictoriaMetrics, OpenTelemetry, or similar)
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
$180,000 - $440,000 USD
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.
SpaceXSI is an equal opportunity employer. For details on data processing, view our Recruitment Privacy Notice.
How we rate this
Software Engineer - Platform Infrastructure (Rust, C++) at xAI rates 85 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Pay
- This job starts at
- $180k
- Typical software engineer job
- $168k
This posting starts 7% above the typical software engineer job. See software engineer jobs
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where systems programming was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where distributed systems was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where kernel was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where networking was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where low level optimization was part of your work. What did you do?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Systems Programming, Distributed Systems, Kernel, Networking, and Low Level Optimization. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Lead with what you built, trained or shipped. This role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.
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