Staff Software Engineer

About Us

Chips are at the center of today's tech-driven world. But how we design them has not changed in decades, while their complexity and specialization have skyrocketed due to increasing performance demands from applications like AI. We want to change that.

Our team is small, technical, and fast-moving. We’ve built and shipped at the intersection of AI, EDA, and systems software, with deep roots at companies like Qualcomm, Nvidia, Google, Meta, and the Allen Institute for AI. We’re backed by top investors including Khosla Ventures, Cerberus, and Clear Ventures, and already deployed with 10+ innovative customers—from Fortune 100s to cutting-edge AI silicon startups.

About This Role

This role offers a unique opportunity to be part of the founding team at ChipStack, where we are reinventing how modern silicon chips are designed. You will work alongside highly experienced chip designers who have built complex chips, ML scientists who have led training LLMs at large organizations, and top-notch software engineers. You will get to leverage your prior experience in software engineering and apply it to challenging problems in chip design.

About You

1. You want to be at a startup because you love to be at the center of all the dynamism that a startup offers.

2. You are willing to put in the hours and go the extra mile to ensure every customer has an exceptional experience.

3. You are self-motivated with a sense of urgency and can operate independently without much guidance.

4. You are not afraid of difficult problems and enjoy venturing into areas you have not explored before.

This Role

We’re looking for a strong, experienced Software Engineer to join our founding team. We are seeking a generalist with the ability to switch between frontend and backend infrastructures as needed. The successful candidate will be involved in all parts of the company and influence the product’s trajectory significantly.

What's needed

1. Strong background and experience in software engineering and in building modern web applications with 5+ years of experience

2. Strong proficiency in Python and TypeScript

3. Deep understanding of cloud services and containerized applications with prior experience in deploying complex services in production

4. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

5. Good communication skills and the ability to work directly with customers

What's good to have

1. Prior experience in building LLM-based applications

2. Exposure to chip design fundamentals (via coursework or elsewhere)

3. Experience at an early-stage startup

4. Experience in developing IDE plugins (e.g., VSCode)

Our Culture

Culture fit is important for anyone joining an early-stage team. Below are our core tenets.

1. Challenge status quo : We are innovators who can challenge the status quo and push forward our vision of the world.

2. Strong opinions, loosely held : We are low on ego, but high on collaboration. We are okay to be wrong and are always open to learning.

3. Ship fast, ship quality : We ruthlessly prioritize what matters. We build a few things, but at lightning speed with high quality.

4. Proud of our craft : Attention to detail is in our DNA. We take pride in what we build and ensure they exceed the high standards of the semiconductor industry.