Backend Software Engineer - API

Perplexity is looking for a backend engineer to join our small team revolutionizing the way people search and interact with the internet. You will be responsible for leading design, implementation, and scaling of systems that power our API products. Our backend stack is Python, Postgresql, DynamoDB, Redis, and Kubernetes, built alongside dedicated in-house AI and search interfaces. The ideal candidate should have experience building systems, infrastructure, scaling, testing, and maintenance.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, expand and maintain APIs and services
• Scope and lead large technical projects, laying the groundwork for early-stage products to iteratively evolve and scale
• Work with engineers across the company to understand when existing infrastructure can be leveraged vs. when building a bespoke solution is prudent
• Align our technical decisions with the company’s broad strategic initiatives, while also advocating for needs specific to emerging new API initiatives.
• Should be able to generalize specific customer requests and build features that are applicable to the broader user base of the product

Qualifications

• Understand good practices of building and working with natural language/LLM APIs
• Have experience managing infrastructure for API products
• Have a good intuition for what will last and scale
• Have experience in ensuring great user experience and ease of use of features and products you build.
• 4+ years of engineering experience.

Our cash compensation range for this role is $180,000 - $230,000.

At Perplexity, we've experienced tremendous growth and adoption since publicly launching the world's first fully functional conversational answer engine just over a year ago. Our AI-powered search assistant has amassed 10 million monthly active users as of early 2024, with our mobile apps installed over 1 million times across iOS and Android devices. In 2023 alone, we served over 500 million queries from users around the globe.

To support our rapid expansion, we've raised significant funding from some of the most respected investors in technology. In January 2024, we raised $73.6 million in a Series B round led by IVP, with participation from NVIDIA, Jeff Bezos' investment fund, NEA, Databricks, and other prominent firms. We followed that up with a $62.7 million Series B1 round in April 2024 led by Daniel Gross, valuing Perplexity at over $1 billion.

Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.

Equity: In addition to the base salary, equity is part of the total compensation package.

Benefits: Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance for you and your dependents. Includes a 401(k) plan.

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