Founding Engineer

About

About Empathic

Empathic is building an iMessage friend for young women, creating what the founder believes will be the most important cultural and social change of our lifetime. The company is at the frontier of human-AI interaction, designing realistic real-time interfaces that feel present and proactive rather than sterile and turn-based. Currently in market with 130 paying customers, day-one retention at 80%+ and week-two retention at 70%+. Raised $2.7M led by BoxGroup at a $30M valuation; founder is a Thiel Fellow and third-time founder (YC W21, previous exit).

About the role

This is engineer number one. You will work directly with the founder on the most technically interesting problems in real-time AI interaction, from memory systems and latency optimization to voice and video interfaces that feel delightful at scale. The scope spans the full stack: backend infrastructure, ML model integration, frontend surfaces, and the content engine that will delight users. You're joining at the moment when the product is proving retention and the technical complexity is about to explode.

What you'll own

• Optimize inference costs across smaller models, currently running at a couple thousand dollars per day in Anthropic credits
• Own and evolve the in-house memory system that powers better agentic interactions
• Ship latency and information-compression improvements across the stack
• Build the content recommendation engine that surfaces interesting content to users
• Design and ship voice interfaces with the latency, presence, and nuance that make them feel real rather than robotic
• Set the bar for code quality and engineering taste; help recruit the next engineers

Requirements

Must-have

• 3+ years professional engineering experience (excluding internships), with at least 1 year in a senior or ownership capacity
• Proficiency in at least one backend language (Python, Go, Rust, TypeScript, or similar) and understanding of distributed systems concepts
• Track record of building full-stack applications and shipping to production
• Exceptional raw intelligence and ability to move quickly; the founder explicitly prioritizes this over years of experience
• 100% in-person in San Francisco; comfortable with intensity beyond a standard 9-to-5

Nice-to-have

• Former founder or founding engineer at a startup; this is the single strongest signal the founder has observed
• Frontend proficiency and design taste across the full stack
• Experience optimizing real-time systems, latency-sensitive infrastructure, or voice/video systems
• Genuine passion for AI and what it means for human interaction; the work on this product requires taste and judgment, not just technical execution

Benefits & perks

• Equity: up to 6%
• Generous medical, dental, and vision coverage; covers most Gold and Platinum plans via employer ICHRA
• 401k plus match
• Work computer and peripherals
• Free lunch and dinner every day; monthly bonus for living within half a mile of the office
• 100% in-person in San Francisco (SoMa or upper SoMa; relocation support for qualified candidates)

Interview process

1. 1Application review
2. 2Screening call
3. 3Technical interview 1
4. 4Technical interview 2
5. 5On-site
6. 6Offer Extended
7. 7Hired