---
title: 'Product Engineer at Kernel'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/product-engineer-kernel-san-francisco-ycshr9gtzsnc'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-06'
---

# Product Engineer at Kernel

- **Company:** Kernel
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-02-27
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/usekernel/de8e7bf8-9ce7-4c4f-9d25-a9ceb831f4b1

## Job description

## ABOUT KERNEL

Kernel is crazy fast, open source browser infrastructure for AI agents. We handle autoscaling, observability, and the messy details of web interaction, so developers can focus on what their agents do instead of how they do it.

Teams at Cash App, Rye, and 3000+ others use Kernel for deep research, QA automation, and real-time web analysis. We've raised $22M from Accel, YC, and Vercel.

If you're interested in building critical infrastructure for agents on the web, we'd love to chat.

## ABOUT THE ROLE

Product Engineers at Kernel are full-stack engineers who think about the product as much as the code. You know how to translate your strong product instincts into code, from pixel-level UI decisions to backend API design. You don't wait for a spec, you help write it.

You'll work closely with our co-founders to set product direction, ship full-stack features end-to-end, and make Kernel feel as polished as it is powerful.

## WHAT YOU’LL DO

- Own customer outcomes and product metrics
- Execute the full-stack implementation of user-facing product surfaces, including our core product and new product lines
- Shape the product roadmap by synthesizing customer feedback, usage patterns, and your own instincts about what developers need
- Drive DX improvements across our SDK, docs, CLI, and API. The kind of details that make developers say "this just works"
- Ship fast and iterate, from prototype to production with minimal hand-holding
- Help define what it means to build a great developer product at Kernel

## WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

- You're driven by customer outcomes: you're empathetic to customers, naturally inclined to help them succeed in their goals through KERNEL, and obsessed with metrics that matter to them
- You ship end-to-end: you're comfortable owning a feature from frontend to backend and getting it across the finish line
- You have product taste: you've thought hard about what makes developer tools feel magical vs. frustrating, and that thinking shows up in your work
- Startup experience: you've built fast, worn multiple hats, and figured things out without a playbook
- You build for developers deploying agents into the real world
- You have strong opinions about devEx and API design, and you know how to back them up with shipped work

## WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT AS A KERNEL

- Industry-competitive salary
- Above market equity
- Premium medical + dental coverage + dependent coverage
- Small, trusting team of senior + staff engineers
- Default async with minimal bureaucracy, only two meetings a week
- $1k / mo budget for LLM usage fees #vibecheck
- Daily lunches on us
- Unlimited PTO
- 401k + company match
- Relocation assistance

Hiring process

We have a simple process focused on real world collaboration and jointly getting to know each other:

1. 30-minute intro call with one of Kernel’s co-founders
2. 45-minute technical interview (virtual)
3. Half-day on-site (virtual or in-person) working with our team on relevant challenges.
4. Offer! https://www.onkernel.com/docs/careers/backend-engineer#how-to-apply

## About Kernel

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Kernel builds crazy fast, open-source infrastructure for AI agents to access and interact with the internet using cloud-hosted browsers.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, United States
- **Founded**: 2025
- **Founders**: Rafael Garcia (Co-Founder & CEO) and Catherine Jue (Co-Founder & CTO)

## Core Business
- Primary industry: AI Infrastructure / Developer Tools / Browser Automation
- Target customers: B2B – engineering teams building web agents, browser automations, and AI applications (trusted by Cash App, Framer, Rye, and 3,000+ teams)
- Mission or purpose: To make cloud infrastructure 100x better by providing well-designed, opinionated tooling that unlocks superpowers for the next generation of AI applications.

## Products & Services
- **Kernel Browser API**: An API to instantly launch sandboxed, cloud-based Chromium browsers in under 30ms (cold start) with sub-150ms cold starts on managed headful browsers. Supports headless, stealth, GPU, and profile modes. Integrates with Playwright, Puppeteer, Browser Use, and Computer Use frameworks.
- **Stealth Mode**: Built-in residential proxies and automatic CAPTCHA solving for web agents.
- **Observability Suite**: Session recording (live view), video replays (MP4), full logs, and screenshots for debugging.
- **Agent Runtime (App Platform)**: A serverless compute service to deploy and invoke agent loops on demand or via scheduled events, co-located with browsers to minimize latency.
- **Auth & Session Management**: Persistent sessions that maintain cookies and auth across invocations; managed authentication for agents.
- **Open-Source SDKs & Tools**: `kernel-images` (Go, 924 stars), `hypeman` (multi-hypervisor VM runtime), `kernel-mcp-server` (MCP server for browser automation), CLI, and Node SDK.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of **$22M** (Series A led by Accel, backed by Y Combinator S25 batch)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Accel, Y Combinator (S25), Tyler Bosmeny (Primary Partner at YC). Trusted by Cash App, Framer, Rye, and 3,000+ teams.
- **Growth Signals**: Raised $22M in Series A shortly after founding in 2025; Y Combinator batch S25; trusted by major fintech and design platforms; open-source repos gaining traction (kernel-images at 924 stars); team growing from 6 to ~15 employees rapidly.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Performance Moat**: Sub-30ms browser spin-ups and sub-150ms cold starts on managed browsers – significantly faster than competitors.
- **Open-Source Core**: Transparent, community-driven development with 61 public repos, fostering trust and adoption.
- **Full-Stack Observability**: Live view, video replays, and logs built-in from day one – not an afterthought.
- **Stealth & Compliance**: Built-in residential proxies, auto-CAPTCHA solving, SOC 2 compliant, and HIPAA-ready.
- **Founder-Market Fit**: CEO Rafael Garcia was co-founder/CTO of Clever (YC S12, exited for $500M), bringing deep infrastructure and scaling experience. CTO Catherine Jue was co-founder of Sway Finance (YC S16) and led Cash App’s forward-deployed engineering team.

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling the browser infrastructure platform to support more AI agent frameworks and use cases
- Expanding the open-source ecosystem and developer community
- Building out the agent runtime platform for serverless deployment
- Deepening enterprise partnerships and compliance certifications
- Growing the engineering team to accelerate product development

## Why Work Here
- **Early-stage impact**: Join a well-funded Series A startup (15 employees) backed by top-tier investors – opportunity to shape the product and culture from an early stage
- **Founding team pedigree**: Work alongside founders who have built and exited a $500M company (Clever) and led engineering at Cash App
- **Technical challenges**: Build cutting-edge infrastructure for AI agents – browser virtualization, stealth proxies, serverless compute, and observability at scale
- **Open-source culture**: 61 public repos, active community engagement, and commitment to transparent development
- **Work environment**: In-office culture based in San Francisco (4 locations in the US), with a focus on well-designed tooling and developer experience
- **Perks**: Competitive compensation at a well-funded startup; perks and benefits typical of an early-stage YC company (details available on Built In)
- **Current openings**: Infrastructure Engineer, Product Engineer, Backend Engineer, DevRel Engineer, Solutions Engineer, Customer Engineer – indicating strong growth and diverse team needs

## Sources
1. [Y Combinator – Kernel Profile](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/kernel)
2. [GitHub – Kernel Organization](http://github.com/kernel)
3. [Kernel Documentation](https://www.kernel.sh/docs)
4. [StartupHub.ai – Usekernel Profile](https://www.startuphub.ai/startups/usekernel)
5. [Built In – Kernel Jobs & Careers](https://builtin.com/company/kernel-kernel-sh/jobs)

## Other roles at Kernel

- [Browser Security Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/browser-security-engineer-kernel-san-francisco-68rz5wz2dyyp) — San Francisco, CA
- [Developer Advocate](https://feeny.ai/job/developer-advocate-kernel-san-francisco-4x6qjb4k8rk1) — San Francisco, CA
- [DevRel Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/devrel-engineer-kernel-san-francisco-av6mcvxrf9xm) — San Francisco, CA
- [Infrastructure Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/infrastructure-engineer-kernel-san-francisco-dekqe8rkd7gy) — San Francisco, CA
- [Product Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/product-engineer-krea-san-francisco-a1c64g6r1rzn) — San Francisco, CA
- [Product Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/product-engineer-expa-united-states-cesdq8wpnwdr) — United States
- [Product Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/product-engineer-percepta-new-york-cqnbdfm3zeh0) — New York, NY
- [Product Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/product-engineer-sarj-ai-riyadh-4rnte4z7tqxr) — Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- [Product Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/product-engineer-airops-new-york-a4zv6dq90ykc) — New York, NY / San Francisco, CA
- [Product Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/product-engineer-astrocade-palo-alto-meq7nz3mpsrv) — Palo Alto, CA