Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Integrations) at Perplexity (San Francisco, CA)
Perplexity· San Francisco, CA· $220k–$405k·
Role details
Perplexity at a glance
AI-powered answer engine that returns real-time, cited answers, now expanding into an agentic browser and on-device agents.
Perplexity runs an AI answer engine that searches the live web and returns direct, cited answers instead of a page of links. It has extended that core into an AI browser (Comet), an on-device agent (Computer), a developer API, and vertical tools like patent search.
$1.7B raised · latest: Series E extension · $200M · 2025 (reported $20B valuation) · backed by Accel, IVP, NEA, SoftBank Vision Fund 2
Job description
Description In 2026, we launched Computer, the defining product for the new era of agentic AI. Millions of people now use Perplexity to transform knowledge into action, and the Integrations team builds the systems and products that let Perplexity connect to user data and workflows across multiple verticals, turning connected data into reliable, AI-powered experiences people use every day. As an engineer on the Integrations team at Perplexity, you’ll define the technical direction of products that connect Perplexity to workflows across multiple verticals and work full-stack to build these applied AI systems. You’ll move quickly, owning outcomes end-to-end, and building useful products people reach for every day. Tech Stack: TypeScript | Next.js | React | Python | PostgreSQL | Eppo | AWS
Why Perplexity is different
- Craftsmanship. We build high-quality, tasteful products targeting both the AI-native and AI-curious.
- Ownership. You identify the problem, design the solution and ship it.
- Entrepreneurship. We think like founders, act with urgency, and hustle to deliver for each other and our users.
- Scholarship. Work among highly talented peers, pursuing knowledge and truth, upleveling ourselves, our teams, and our products.
- Partnership. We amplify each other’s strengths, break down silos, and give selflessly to help our colleagues deliver excellence.
What you'll do
- Build agentic apps, features, and workflows that make Perplexity a daily driver for users.
- Lead vertical-specific products and AI-powered experiences like a Personal CFO and Email Assistant, turning connected data into reliable, high-impact tools people want to use every day.
- Own the data backbone of pipelines, infrastructure, and connectors that bring user and enterprise data to agents and products at a 99.9% reliability bar.
- Drive end-to-end projects across the full stack, running experiments in parallel and hill-climbing on adoption, retention, and revenue.
- Set technical direction, mentor engineers, and partner with AI, Design, Data Science, and Infra to ship products that don't exist anywhere else.
Qualifications
- 6+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a track record of rapidly shipping complex products end-to-end.
- Demonstrated technical leadership: you've owned large, ambiguous projects, set direction, and driven them to clear outcomes.
- Strong execution: you ship many products and experiments in parallel and drive each to a measurable result.
- Strong product judgment; you translate user behavior and product opportunities into simple, effective technical solutions.
- An "extra zero" mindset: you aim for outcomes that are 10x, not 10%, and own the result end-to-end.
- Self-motivated with strong ownership instincts; you propose ideas, ship features ahead of schedule, and drive improvements without asking for permission.
- Experience mentoring engineers and raising the technical bar of a team.
- Genuine interest in and adoption of AI products and willingness to learn quickly.
Nice to have
- Domain expertise in verticals such as finance, healthcare, legal, or operations.
- Experience building agentic product surfaces.
- Time at a fast-growing startup or high-ownership engineering team.
Why work at Perplexity
- 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.