---
title: 'Senior C++ Engineer at DuckDuckGo'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-c-engineer-duckduckgo-remote-0hrsfqqn6azq'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-16'
---

# Senior C++ Engineer at DuckDuckGo

- **Company:** DuckDuckGo
- **Location:** Remote
- **Compensation:** $179k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-10-14
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-16
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/duck-duck-go/af93b075-d60a-4686-abeb-5949206d2f53

## Job description

## Who We Are

Hi, we're DuckDuckGo, the online protection company and remote-first team of 400+ on a mission to raise the standard of trust online. Founded in 2008 and profitable since 2014, our annual revenue is in the hundreds of millions USD and millions use our browser on [Mac](https://spreadprivacy.com/introducing-duckduckgo-for-mac/), [Windows](https://spreadprivacy.com/windows-browser-open-beta/), [iOS](https://spreadprivacy.com/duckduckgo-privacy-browser-ios14/), and [Android](https://spreadprivacy.com/introducing-app-tracking-protection/), our [search engine](https://duckduckgo.com/), and the [DuckDuckGo subscription](https://duckduckgo.com/pro). We also offer private, useful, and optional AI, including [Duck.ai](https://duck.ai/), which lets you chat privately with ChatGPT, Claude, and other AIs, all in one place.

Our [culture](https://duckduckgo.com/how-we-work) of trust, inclusivity, and empowered project management underpins everything we do, where each team member takes full ownership of their projects, from scoping and execution to postmortem. If you're seeking end-to-end ownership of your work, you've come to the right place!

## Your Team and Role

Working on the C++ Functional Team, you'll build the high-performance code at the core of DuckDuckGo's browser using modern C++ and Chromium, and work on related projects.

You can expect to work on projects like:

- Implement tracker blocking that stops hidden trackers on every site without slowing page loads.
- Bring VPN and Personal Information Removal into the browser through the DuckDuckGo subscription.
- Catch startup and responsiveness regressions automatically, so the browser stays fast as it grows.

As a Senior C++/Chromium Engineer, you'll lead complex projects from proposal through post-mortem. You'll turn vague problems into clear plans, build them in a large modern C++ codebase, and use metrics to show they worked. Some days that means low-level systems work. Others, it means architecture decisions the whole team builds on. You'll collaborate with design and product, mostly asynchronously, to build features people use to protect their privacy.

## About You

- Ability to lead and collaborate on high-impact, complex projects from proposal through post-mortem
- Skills to wrangle vague problems, propose innovative solutions, and execute them with a strong focus on metrics
- 7+ years of software engineering experience
- Advanced modern C++ expertise (C++23 or newer), including memory management, concurrency, and performance profiling
- Experience driving technical work end-to-end on large-scale C++ codebases
- Comfort with large build systems, debuggers, and profilers
- Experience shipping software to a large consumer audience
- Solid computer science foundation (algorithms and data structures)
- Bonus: Windows development experience
- Bonus: experience with browsers (Chromium, WebKit, WebView), game engines, or large desktop applications

## Compensation

This role is paid on a regional pay scale, in local currency, and stock options:

- United States: $190,500 USD annually
- United Kingdom: £134,600 GBP annually
- Canada: C$253,500 CAD annually
- Europe/Rest of World: €157,350 EUR annually

In Spain, pay is expected to transition to the EUR scale on January 1, 2027, and in other Europe/Rest of World countries on February 1, 2027.

Compensation is transparent across the organization, and all team members within the same professional level and global region receive the same compensation.

Eligibility for company-sponsored health benefits is limited to team members based in the United States. This program does not extend to team members located in other countries, such as Canada or the UK.

Our[Team Member Support Guide](https://duckduckgo.com/assets/hiring/team_support_guide.pdf) explains how we prioritize your wellbeing including paid parental leave, office setup, and co-working allowances.

Hiring Process Hiring works best when it's a two-way street. Learn how we help you get to know DuckDuckGo, envision your future role here, and find out more about [how we hire](https://duckduckgo.com/how-we-hire).

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion DuckDuckGo provides equal work opportunities to all team members and applicants, and it prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, caste, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by our policies or federal, state, or local laws.

We want to ensure that our hiring process is accessible. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process because of a medical condition or disability, please send an email to careers@duckduckgo.com to let us know the nature of your request.

Please note that:

- You’ll be required to attend meetings on camera via video conferencing
- Expect to travel at least two times a year: once for our all-hands meetup and again for a team retreat (each around 4-5 days). While extenuating circumstances may impact attendance, everyone is strongly encouraged to attend.
- While we offer a flexible work arrangement with no core hours, expect an average full-time commitment of 40 hours per week.
- A successful candidate must pass a background check as a condition of joining the team.
- By applying for this role, you confirm that all information submitted is accurate and complete. You further acknowledge that providing false or fraudulent information during the application process is cause for denial of an offer, revocation of any existing offer, or other adverse action, up to and including termination after the start of your commencement of work.

Disclosure Statement: Use of AI in Hiring Process As part of our commitment to enhancing our recruitment process, we utilize artificial intelligence (AI) technology to assist in reviewing and summarizing job applications and test projects, including those tools integrated into our recruitment vendor platforms. We use AI to flag potentially fraudulent applications, analyze and summarize applicants’ experience, interviews, and project performance, and help streamline our selection process.

Key Principles:

- Data Privacy: All information provided in your application will be handled in accordance with our [Recruiting Privacy Policy](https://duckduckgo.com/static-assets/files/pages/careers/DuckDuckGo-Recruiting-Privacy-Policy-effective-September-30-2025.pdf). We ensure that your personal information is protected and used solely for recruitment purposes.
- Human Oversight and Accountability: The AI technology is designed to support our hiring team by providing insights and summaries of applications and evaluations of test projects against scoring rubrics. All final evaluations and hiring decisions, however, will be made by our hiring team, who will consider the AI's input alongside other factors.
- Transparency: We believe in transparency regarding our hiring practices. If you have any questions about how AI is used in our recruitment process, please feel free to reach out to us.

By submitting your application, you acknowledge and consent to the use of AI technology in our review process. If you would like to request an alternative selection process, please contact us as at careers@duckduckgo.com. Thank you for your interest in joining DuckDuckGo!

## About DuckDuckGo

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: DuckDuckGo is an independent, free browser and search engine that actively protects users’ personal information by not tracking them.
- **Entity Type**: Private (independently funded, bootstrapped with early angel investment)
- **Headquarters**: Paoli, Pennsylvania, USA
- **Founded**: 2008
- **Founders**: Gabriel Weinberg

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Internet privacy, search engine, web browser
- **Target customers**: B2C (consumers), with a focus on privacy-conscious individuals
- **Mission**: “To show the world that protecting privacy can be simple.”

## Products & Services
- **DuckDuckGo Browser**: A privacy-focused browser available on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. It blocks third-party trackers, cookie pop-ups, and invasive ads, and includes a built-in search engine that never tracks searches.
- **DuckDuckGo Search Engine**: A private search engine that does not collect or share personal information.
- **Privacy Protections**: Features include Email Protection (email forwarding that strips trackers), App Tracking Protection (blocks trackers in other apps on Android), and optional AI features (e.g., DuckAssist) that are also privacy-respecting.
- **DuckDuckGo for Business**: An enterprise version? Not explicitly mentioned; primarily consumer-focused.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Over 3 billion monthly searches, 9 million monthly downloads, 335+ team members (as of 2026)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Early investor Union Square Ventures; no major recent funding rounds disclosed
- **Growth Signals**: Team has tripled in size over the past few years while maintaining a 95% annual retention rate; average user rating of 4.8 across app stores; fully distributed team across 27+ countries

## Competitive Advantages
- **Privacy-first positioning**: No tracking, no data collection, and transparent business model (revenue from non-tracking ads and affiliate partnerships)
- **Independent and self-funded**: Not reliant on venture capital or ad-tech revenue, enabling long-term focus on user trust
- **Non-hierarchical culture**: Flat structure with Directly Responsible Individuals (DRIs) instead of project managers; same pay for same level/region regardless of role or background
- **High employee retention**: 95% annual retention since 2012, indicating strong culture and job satisfaction

## Strategic Focus
- **Expand privacy protections**: Continue to develop new features that block tracking and protect user data (e.g., Email Protection, App Tracking Protection)
- **Grow user base**: Increase adoption of the DuckDuckGo browser beyond the search engine
- **Privacy-first AI**: Integrate optional AI features that respect user privacy, distinguishing from competitors that rely on data collection
- **Maintain remote-first culture**: Sustain a fully distributed, asynchronous work environment that values deep work and flexibility

## Why Work Here
- **Fully remote**: Team members work from over 27 countries; no core hours – schedule flexibility for deep work
- **Fair compensation**: Same annual pay for same professional level and global region, regardless of role, gender, or experience
- **High retention and engagement**: 95% annual retention, 86% employee engagement (14% above industry benchmark)
- **Unique culture**: Non-hierarchical, transparent, with DRIs and Career Advisors; no external job titles internally; emphasis on building trust and questioning assumptions
- **Hiring process**: Paid test projects (no live coding or brain teasers), asynchronous, designed to simulate real work; AI used only as a supporting tool with human oversight
- **Perks**: No core hours, flexible time off, focus on work-life balance, and a global community of passionate team members

## Sources
1. [duckduckgo.com/hiring](https://duckduckgo.com/hiring)
2. [duckduckgo.com/how-we-work](https://duckduckgo.com/how-we-work)
3. [duckduckgo.com/about](https://duckduckgo.com/about)
4. [duckduckgo.com/how-we-hire](https://duckduckgo.com/how-we-hire)
5. [duckduckgo.com/](https://duckduckgo.com/)

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