Backend Software Engineer - API - Perplexity AI

Job Title: Backend Software Engineer - API
Job Location: New York Metro Area · San Francisco Bay Area
Job Listing URL: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/perplexityai/jobs/4668957007
Job Description: Perplexity is looking for a backend engineer to join our small team revolutionizing the way people search and interact with the internet. You will be responsible for leading design, implementation, and scaling of systems that power our API products. Our backend stack is Python, Postgresql, DynamoDB, Redis, and Kubernetes, built alongside dedicated inhouse AI and search interfaces. The ideal candidate should have experience building systems, infrastructure, scaling, testing, and maintenance.

Responsibilities

Design, build, expand and maintain APIs and services

Scope and lead large technical projects, laying the groundwork for early-stage products to iteratively evolve and scale

Work with engineers across the company to understand when existing infrastructure can be leveraged vs. when building a bespoke solution is prudent

Align our technical decisions with the company’s broad strategic initiatives, while also advocating for needs specific to emerging new API initiatives.

Should be able to generalize specific customer requests and build features that are applicable to the broader user base of the product

Qualifications

Understand good practices of building and working with natural language/LLM APIs

Have experience managing infrastructure for API products

Have a good intuition for what will last and scale

Have experience in ensuring great user experience and ease of use of features and products you build.

4+ years of engineering experience.

Our cash compensation range for this role is $180,000 - $250,000.

At Perplexity, we've experienced tremendous growth and adoption since publicly launching the world's first fully functional conversational answer engine in 2022. We've grown from answering 2.5 million questions per day at the start of 2024 to around 20 million daily queries in December 2024. We also offer Perplexity Enterprise Pro, which counts leading companies like Nvidia, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bridgewater, and Zoom as customers.

To support our rapid expansion, we've raised significant funding from some of the most respected technology investors. Our investor base includes IVP, NEA, Jeff Bezos, NVIDIA, Databricks, Bessemer Venture Partners, Elad Gil, Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, Naval Ravikant, Tobi Lutke, and many other visionary individuals. In 2024, our employee base grew nearly 300%, and we're just getting started.

Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including, experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.

Equity: In addition to the base salary, equity is part of the total compensation package.

Benefits: Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance for you and your dependents. Includes a 401(k) plan.