{"id":37652,"url":"https://alion.io/job/xai-software-engineer-platform-core-c-c","title":"Software Engineer - Linux Kernel (C++, C)","company":{"id":28,"name":"xAI","domain":"x.ai","url":"https://alion.io/company/xai","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":88,"open_postings":100,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.47,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":59,"computed_at":"2026-10-17T05:46:00Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":null,"employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Palo Alto, United States","Seattle, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":440000,"max":null,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":440000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"Grok","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"eBPF","optional":true},{"name":"Tcpdump","optional":true},{"name":"Wireshark","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-03T20:27:25Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-05","last_verified_at":"2026-10-17T10:27:09Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":74,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":[],"days_open":74},"description":"SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today, SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary and expanding consciousness to the stars. \nSpaceXSI is building Super Intelligence to understand the universe and help expand humanity’s knowledge and capabilities. We work across the full Super Intelligence stack: compute (Colossus supercomputers), models (Grok), and applications (Grok Bot, Grok Build, Grok Imagine, Grok Voice, and X). We're creating a powerful flywheel where more compute trains better models, better models power more useful products, and what we learn from people using those products shapes what we build next.\nAt SpaceXAI, we design, build, and operate the largest AI supercomputers in the world, from the ground up. As a member of the Platform Core team, you will be responsible for the lowest layers of the software stack on the devices setting the pace for how fast we can push the frontier of AI. Our team’s software interfaces directly with the core hardware of the supercomputer and its network fabric. Our mission is to expose the full capability of that hardware - limited only by physics - to the rest of the stack, all while retaining the smallest, most robust footprint possible. \nRESPONSIBILITIES:\nBuild and maintain the lean, high-reliability Linux-based operating system that underpins our supercomputer network fabric.\nWrite (or rewrite) high-performance device drivers to extract the maximum physical capability from our network and compute hardware.\nManage deployment, operation, and debugging of our platform in production, including:\nRigorous resolution and root-causing of anomalies to ensure the system is constantly improving in reliability.\nDeveloping and constantly improving our tools for observability and configuration management.\nCollaborate with our hardware teams and external partners to design the next generation of supercomputer hardware - and then bring up our OS and software stack on it.\nBASIC QUALIFICATIONS:\nHands-on systems programming experience in C or C++.\nStrong operating systems fundamentals (scheduling, memory management, I/O) - you must be able to articulate in extreme detail how a computer works, from the hardware all the way up to high-level applications.\nUnderstanding of computer networking, both in the host (OS stack) as well as common network devices like switches and routers.\nExcellent written and verbal communication skills.\nPREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:\nDeep knowledge of the Linux kernel and its networking stack - transferable experience with another production-grade kernel is okay, too!\nProficiency with debugging tools spanning kernel, network, and userspace (e.g., ftrace, perf, Wireshark/tcpdump, eBPF, gdb, and more).\nExperience bringing up new hardware from scratch - you have flashed bare-metal software on a microcontroller with JTAG, or bootstrapped a Linux kernel and rootfs on new hardware.\nDemonstrated track record of developing and optimizing device/peripheral drivers - ideally for high-speed interfaces, or with advanced considerations like DMA and cache coherency.\nUnderstanding of major peripheral hardware interface standards (Ethernet, PCIe, I2C, SPI, etc.) - you can critically review a schematic, and debug these interfaces if needed.\nExperience with product security, OS/system hardening, and secure boot schemes.\nCOMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:\n$180,000 - $440,000 USD\nBase salary is just one part of our total rewards package at xAI, which also includes equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and various other discounts and perks.\nSpaceXAI is an equal opportunity employer. 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