Principal Software Engineer

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Oklahoma.

📋 Description

• Crafting products from the ground up. Assisting in defining what should be developed, what can be postponed, and what should be eliminated to prevent wasted time.

• Starting from scratch and delivering rapidly. Transforming ideas from initial concept to prototype to a tangible product in users’ hands, frequently within days rather than months.

• Observing your work in action immediately. You won't be responsible for small components of a massive system that may never be deployed. What you create here is shipped, utilized, and provides immediate insights.

• Making essential technical choices. Selecting the appropriate tools, architecture, and trade-offs for the current stage, instead of defaulting to inherited systems.

• Engaging closely with reality. Gaining insights directly from users, rigorously testing assumptions, and swiftly adapting when the situation changes.

• Developing across the entire product spectrum. Considering not only if something functions technically but also its usefulness, usability, uniqueness, and economic viability.

• Maintaining a pace that keeps the work enjoyable. Small teams, minimal bureaucracy, and the expectation of making significant progress daily. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, you'll excel here; if you favor prolonged cycles and extensive reviews, this may feel challenging.

• Contributing to venture shaping, not merely software development. Influencing decisions that determine whether something evolves into a feature, a product, or a company.

⛳️ Requirements

• Demonstrated experience in building products from the ground up. They have developed something sufficiently to make significant trade-offs in product, technical aspects, and speed versus quality in the real world.

• They approach problems like a product creator, not just an executor. They prioritize what should be built, what users truly require, what can be streamlined, and what isn't worth pursuing.

• They navigate ambiguity effectively. They do not require every detail to be resolved to make progress. They know how to establish clarity while constructing.

• Possess strong technical judgment. They can make appropriate architectural and tooling choices for the current stage, avoiding over-engineering or defaulting to the latest trends.

• Experience in developing modern web products. They have a background in designing and deploying full-stack applications using contemporary frameworks and understand how to balance speed, maintainability, and product quality. Our teams primarily use TypeScript throughout the stack, with React-based frontends and Node.js services on the backend.

• Experience in creating AI-native product experiences. They have worked with foundational model APIs and are familiar with concepts such as prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), tool calling, agent workflows, evaluation, and the practical trade-offs of implementing AI features in production.

• They are avid learners with keen insight into emerging technologies. They stay informed about the latest AI capabilities, tools, interfaces, and product patterns, not to pursue novelty, but to discern what provides genuine leverage. They know how to swiftly assess new technologies, apply them judiciously, and utilize them to enhance the product, strengthen workflows, or give the venture a competitive edge.

• They possess a sense of design. They care about whether something is appealing, usable, cohesive, and worthwhile for users, beyond mere functionality.

• Ability to work as part of a cohesive venture team. They communicate effectively, collaborate well, and can integrate product, user, business, and technical considerations without compromising rigor.

• They seek true ownership. Not just additional tasks or responsibilities, but genuine authorship over what is built and how it gains traction.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary

• Significant equity in every venture developed by the studio

• 8 weeks of paid time off (PTO)

• Comprehensive health, vision, and dental insurance, with 99% of employee premiums covered

• 401(k) plan with 4% matching

• Life insurance coverage

• Paid parental leave

• Cell phone reimbursement

• A culture of high trust and autonomy

• Opportunities to work on multiple high-impact ventures each year

• Remote-first collaboration with occasional in-person team meetups