---
title: 'ML Engineer, Inference & Optimization at Pika'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/ml-engineer-inference-optimization-pika-palo-alto-mg3v4ygd3yt3'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-09'
---

# ML Engineer, Inference & Optimization at Pika

- **Company:** Pika
- **Location:** Palo Alto, CA
- **Compensation:** $250k–$350k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-06-23
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-09
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/pika/fb9e43d7-36b8-46c7-93cd-2b7504e30363

## Job description

## ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking Senior/Staff level Inference Engineers to accelerate the performance of Pika's AI-driven products. In this highly technical role, you will operate at the intersection of cutting-edge inference acceleration, GPU parallelism, advanced model deployment, and video generation technologies. Your expertise will drive significant improvements to model speed and efficiency, ensuring our creative AI systems deliver industry-leading user experiences at scale.

You will design and optimize inference pipelines, implement state-of-the-art acceleration techniques, and work closely with researchers and engineers across the team to push the boundaries of what’s possible in real-time AI deployment. Your efforts will play a foundational role in powering the next generation of Pika’s video and language models.

## WHAT YOU’LL DO

- Accelerate Inference: Lead and implement advanced inference acceleration techniques, including attention optimization and quantization for efficient model serving.
- Maximize GPU Parallelism: Engineer and optimize GPU strategies across tensor, sequence, and pipeline parallelism (TP, SP, PP) for maximal efficiency and scalability.
- Programming for Performance: Develop and optimize high-performance computing kernels and distributed workloads using CUDA and NCCL.
- Advance AI Deployment: Collaborate with research and engineering teams to bring state-of-the-art videogen and large language models into production.
- Improve Training Efficiency: (Bonus) Contribute to improvements in model training speed, stability, and resource utilization as part of our deployment lifecycle.
- Technical Excellence: Drive rigorous code reviews, participate in technical discussions, and mentor fellow engineers on best practices in inference and GPU programming.

## WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

- Experience: 5+ years engineering experience, with a strong track record in inference acceleration and model deployment at scale.
- Inference Mastery: Proven expertise in inference optimization, including quantization, attention acceleration, and deep learning compiler stacks.
- GPU & Parallelism: Deep knowledge of GPU programming (CUDA, NCCL) and experience with SP, TP, PP, and other forms of parallelism for distributed inference.
- AI Domain Knowledge: Familiarity with video generation (videogen) models and large language models (LLMs).
- Collaboration: Strong cross-discipline communication skills; able to drive shared goals across research and engineering functions.
- Ownership Mindset: Self-driven, solutions-oriented, and capable of managing ambiguity in a fast-paced startup environment.
- Bonus: Experience in enhancing training efficiency, stability, or resource optimization for large models.

## NICE TO HAVE

- Experience with high-throughput video or real-time streaming model deployment
- Familiarity with distributed training and optimization toolkits
- Contributions to open source projects in AI infrastructure or deep learning compilers
- Startup or rapid prototyping experience

## WHAT WE OFFER

- Competitive salary in the AI industry
- Equity in a fast-growing startup shaping the future of AI
- Comprehensive health benefits, monthly stipends, company retreats
- A supportive and collaborative office culture—we’re all building and launching together

## ABOUT PIKA

At Pika, we're crafting a future where video creation is seamless, intuitive, and universally accessible. Our mission is to empower creativity by breaking down technical barriers using the transformative power of AI. We’re a tight-knit, energetic team based in Palo Alto, CA, valuing efficiency, curiosity, and the ambition to make a meaningful impact on the world.

We work from our Palo Alto office 3–5 days a week and welcome applicants who are eager to contribute onsite.

## About Pika

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Pika is an AI-native creative platform that enables users to generate, edit, and transform videos—and now "birth" persistent AI agents—from text, images, and voice.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series B)
- **Headquarters**: Palo Alto, California, United States (also has an office in Mountain View, CA)
- **Founded**: 2023
- **Founders**: Demi Guo (CEO), Chenlin Meng (CTO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Generative AI / AI Video & Agent Platform
- **Target customers**: B2C (creators, social media users, marketers) and B2B (developers via Pika API and MCP)
- **Mission or purpose**: To make video creation accessible to everyone, and now to give everyone a "creative partner" AI agent

## Products & Services
- **Pika Video App**: The core product—an AI video generator that turns text prompts, images, and videos into new clips. Supports styles (3D animation, anime, cartoon, cinematic) and effects like "squish it, melt it, cake-ify it."
- **Pika Agent**: A persistent, portable AI agent that users "birth" and own. Multi-modal (text, voice, image, video) and lives across platforms. Users can train it to have personality, memory, and voice—essentially a creative co-pilot.
- **AI Trendmaker**: A feature that lets users hop on viral video trends with just a selfie and a sound.
- **Pika API**: Hosted API for developers to integrate Pika's video generation capabilities into their own apps and workflows.
- **Pika MCP**: Model Context Protocol for connecting agents to external tools and data.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (estimated at ~$470M post-money based on Series B terms)
- **Total Funding**: $135M across 4 rounds
  - Pre-Seed (Jan 2023): $15M led by Nat Friedman & Daniel Gross
  - Seed (May 2023): Amount undisclosed
  - Series A (Nov 2023): $35M led by Lightspeed Venture Partners
  - Series B (Jun 2024): $80M led by Spark Capital
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Spark Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew 27.4% YoY to 59 employees
  - Monthly website visits: ~1.87M (global rank #25,677)
  - Talent sourced from top AI labs (TikTok, Jane Street, Runway, Kling AI, Snap Inc.)
  - 1 active job posting (Head of Engineering) as of mid-2026
  - Launched Pika Agent and Pika API in 2025-2026, expanding beyond video generation into agentic AI

## Competitive Advantages
- **"Birth and own" agent model**: Pika is pioneering the concept of a user-owned, persistent AI agent that evolves with the user—different from one-off chatbot interactions.
- **Multi-modal creative platform**: Combines video generation, agent capabilities, and trend tools in one ecosystem.
- **Strong early traction and talent density**: Raised $135M quickly from top-tier investors; alumni from TikTok, Runway, Jane Street, and other elite tech firms.
- **Small, high-leverage team**: ~59 people operating globally with a "small, dynamic team" culture that values efficiency and ambition.

## Strategic Focus
- **Agent-first future**: Pika is shifting from "just a video tool" to an agent platform where users create and own their AI creative partner.
- **Platform expansion**: Opening up via API and MCP to integrate with external apps and workflows.
- **Global reach**: Operating in 19 countries with a distributed (but Palo Alto-centric) team.
- **Continued R&D in generative video**: Improving realism, style variety, and real-time generation.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Pika describes itself as "small, dynamic" and values "efficiency, collaboration, and creativity." They seek "intellect, work ethic, and ambition."
- **Remote/Hybrid**: Not explicitly stated, but the team is distributed across 19 countries (with the US hub in Palo Alto/Mountain View). Likely hybrid or flexible.
- **Notable perks**: The careers page emphasizes "career growth in a culture that fosters both individual and collective development." They also champion an inclusive culture.
- **Engineering culture**: Tech stack includes Python, TypeScript, Kubernetes, TensorFlow, React, and more. The team has strong representation from top AI labs and trading firms. The open role is Head of Engineering, suggesting they need a senior leader to scale.
- **Impact**: You'd be building the infrastructure for a new category of "owned AI agents" and state-of-the-art video generation—working on cutting-edge generative AI.

## Sources
1. [pika.art](https://pika.art/) – Official website
2. [pika.art/careers](https://pika.art/careers) – Careers page
3. [LinkedIn (Pika Labs)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/pika-labs) – Company data, headcount, funding, talent
4. [Craft.co](https://craft.co/pika-art) – Company summary, locations, sectors
5. [Apple App Store](https://apps.apple.com/pl/app/pika-ai-self-agent/id6758411447) – Pika Agent app details

## Other roles at Pika

- [Head of Finance](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-finance-pika-palo-alto-amgp22pfthqa) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Head of Sales](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-sales-pika-palo-alto-2vyc6rx4jzs7) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Research Intern (BS/MS/PhD)](https://feeny.ai/job/research-intern-bs-ms-phd-pika-palo-alto-rgvx54yph1n5) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Product Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/product-manager-pika-palo-alto-ghy7tmfjf3t6) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Head of Growth](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-growth-pika-palo-alto-wkvx79nkgnhn) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Research Scientist, Data](https://feeny.ai/job/research-scientist-data-pika-palo-alto-qbm0kc8mhbnz) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Software Engineer, Product](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-product-pika-palo-alto-wjxfx4wsxag0) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Software Engineer, Backend](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-backend-pika-palo-alto-jzyhv95kakwm) — Palo Alto, CA
- [Research Scientist, Foundation Model (Video Generation)](https://feeny.ai/job/research-scientist-foundation-model-video-generation-pika-palo-alto-7p60ewgn092p) — Palo Alto, CA