---
title: 'Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Design System) at Perplexity'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/member-of-technical-staff-software-engineer-design-system-perplexity-san-2sfaxsf1ebek'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-06'
---

# Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Design System) at Perplexity

- **Company:** [Perplexity](https://feeny.ai/companies/perplexity)
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Compensation:** $220k–$405k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-08-11
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/perplexity/78675022-c4a7-41d2-9259-7c59be4de93c

## Job description

Perplexity is looking for a frontend engineer to build the design system behind every Perplexity product. It is the component library and design language shared across web, iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows – the primitives, tokens, and interaction patterns that every product team builds on top of.

Its users are internal, spanning product teams and a broad range of contributors across the company. The components you build become the foundation all of them rely on. You will develop component APIs that hold up across dozens of consuming surfaces and are easy for other teams to adopt correctly, contribute to the token pipeline that keeps five platforms visually consistent, and maintain a high bar for interaction quality and accessibility.

Tech Stack: React · TypeScript · CSS · Design Tokens

## WHAT YOU'LL DO

- Design and build core primitives – overlays, inputs, navigation, feedback – with APIs that stay coherent as consumers multiply
- Work across the design-token pipeline – authoring, generation, and per-platform publishing across web, iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows
- Partner directly with design on the design language itself, translating Figma systems into typed, testable, documented components
- Migrate product surfaces off bespoke implementations onto shared primitives without breaking them
- Build accessible components by default – keyboard, focus, contrast, screen readers – backed by automated coverage
- Support consuming teams through docs, visual regression coverage, and on-call rotation

## WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

- 4+ years building production frontend; experience with a design system, component library, or shared UI platform is a plus
- Interest in building reusable components
- Strong React and TypeScript, and CSS
- Working accessibility knowledge (WCAG, ARIA patterns, assistive tech)
- Comfort collaborating closely with designers on the visual and interaction language

## About Perplexity

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Perplexity builds an AI-powered answer engine that delivers accurate, real-time answers to any question, serving curious minds and professionals who demand precision and speed.
- **Entity Type**: Private (total funding $1.7B across 16 rounds)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, Andy Konwinski

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: AI-powered search and knowledge retrieval, Software Development
- **Target customers**: B2C (general users), B2B (enterprise API customers), and power users seeking reliable information
- **Mission**: “AI for people who expect more – more accuracy, more agency, more signal, less noise.”

## Products & Services
- **Perplexity AI (Free Tier)**: Real-time conversational search engine that synthesizes web results with citations, accessible via web and mobile app. *Type*: SaaS
- **Perplexity Pro**: Subscription offering enhanced features such as advanced AI models, multimodal search, and increased usage limits. *Type*: SaaS (subscription)
- **Perplexity API Platform**: Enables developers to integrate Perplexity’s search and reasoning capabilities into their own applications. *Type*: API
- **Perplexity Browser Extension**: Brings AI-powered search directly into the browser for quick answers without leaving the page. *Type*: Browser extension

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available in provided sources (prior reports indicate ~$9B valuation as of 2024, but not confirmed in this data set)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding $1.7B (16 rounds); annual revenue ~$50M (LinkedIn estimate)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not explicitly listed in provided search results; widely known investors include IVP, NEA, Jeff Bezos, and others (not sourced here)
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 11.3% YoY to 1,152 employees; operates in 54 countries; LinkedIn followers grew 131.8% yearly to >1.6M; active hiring across 48+ open roles including AI Research, Engineering, and Go-to-Market teams

## Competitive Advantages
- **Real-time, cited answers**: Unlike traditional chatbots, Perplexity grounds answers in live web results with transparent sources, building trust and accuracy.
- **Multimodal and agentic capabilities**: Continuously pushes frontier research (e.g., query-aware context compression, agents for knowledge work) that differentiates from generic LLM interfaces.
- **Vertical integration from research to product**: In-house AI research team tackles open problems unique to Perplexity’s scale, enabling fast iteration on novel methods.
- **Strong brand and user base**: Rapid consumer adoption with millions of monthly active users and high engagement.

## Strategic Focus
- **Pushing the frontier of search**: Evolving from retrieval services to code generation, agents, and full autonomy in knowledge work.
- **Expanding enterprise and API revenue**: Growing B2B footprint with API platform and enterprise solutions.
- **Global hiring and office expansion**: Offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York, Austin, Washington D.C., London, Berlin, and Belgrade, with “4 days in office” hybrid model.
- **Investing in AI research**: Dedicated research division (Perplexity Research) exploring reasoning, agents, and systems to redefine how people navigate the internet.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & Environment**: “Thoughtful support” culture with emphasis on craftsmanship, ownership, entrepreneurship, scholarship, and partnership. Hybrid schedule (4 days in-office) based on location.
- **Perks**: Daily catered meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner in office), office snacks, ride home program, commuter benefits, home office reimbursement, fitness classes, gym memberships.
- **Compensation & Benefits**: Competitive salary and equity packages; retirement plans with company match; flexible PTO; holiday shutdown between Christmas and New Year; 12 weeks paid bonding leave; comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
- **Relocation & Visa Support**: Relocation assistance and visa/green card sponsorship for eligible roles. Partners with immigration firm to support the process.
- **Engineering Excellence**: “Technical assessment for relevant roles”; values hands-on contribution, broad skill sets, and merit-based evaluation. Frequent Tech Talks and exposure to greenfield AI research problems.

## Sources
1. [perplexity.ai/hub/careers](https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/careers)
2. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/perplexity](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/perplexity)
3. [perplexity.ai](https://www.perplexity.ai/)
4. [linkedin.com/company/perplexity-ai](https://www.linkedin.com/company/perplexity-ai)
5. [research.perplexity.ai](https://research.perplexity.ai/)

## Other roles at Perplexity

- [Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Infrastructure)](https://feeny.ai/job/member-of-technical-staff-software-engineer-infrastructure-perplexity-san-phdw5wsw1ys9) — San Francisco, CA
- [Virtual Events Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/virtual-events-manager-perplexity-san-francisco-9z3wjardvdqq) — San Francisco, CA
- [Field Marketing Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/field-marketing-manager-perplexity-san-francisco-3dfbnq1x8c0j) — San Francisco, CA
- [Product Manager, SMB Growth](https://feeny.ai/job/product-manager-smb-growth-perplexity-san-francisco-kd2qx39ttej6) — San Francisco, CA
- [Product Manager, Mobile Apps](https://feeny.ai/job/product-manager-mobile-apps-perplexity-san-francisco-v9491j337kha) — San Francisco, CA
- [Product Manager, AI Capabilities](https://feeny.ai/job/product-manager-ai-capabilities-perplexity-san-francisco-n1xpbf9crx7x) — San Francisco, CA
- [Product Manager, Growth](https://feeny.ai/job/product-manager-growth-perplexity-san-francisco-bfyfj56nx1hk) — San Francisco, CA
- [Product Manager, Core Experience](https://feeny.ai/job/product-manager-core-experience-perplexity-new-york-mm01d1n10g8h) — New York, NY
- [Motion Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/motion-designer-perplexity-new-york-k6wvzd3d4mam) — New York, NY
- [Brand Designer, Growth](https://feeny.ai/job/brand-designer-growth-perplexity-san-francisco-75m10qjkqy8a) — San Francisco, CA