Founding Engineer
full-time•on-site•San Francisco•$175k - $225k+ 3-6%
About this role
tl;dr
Employee #1. A 1-of-1 role alongside
a Thiel Fellow founder.
a Thiel Fellow founder.
The world is trending toward fewer, shallower friendships. Empathic is creating a great friend for everyone on Earth, by digitizing connection in what could be the biggest cultural transition of our lifetime.
About the founder:
Thiel Fellow, YC alum, Stanford dropout who recently sold his last company. Well funded by BoxGroup. Building a real-time video call medium where AI can be present and proactive — connecting on iMessage, FaceTime, and native apps users already love.
What You'll Do
01
Build across the full application — Work on all aspects with the founder, design, and other engineers.
02
New systems for memory, retrieval, proactivity — Build the core intelligence that makes AI presence feel real and responsive.
03
Integrate real-time video & audio models — Work with the latest internal and external video generation and audio synthesis.
04
Set the engineering bar — Create the quality standard and help recruit world-class talent. Dogfood the product extensively.
Why Join
4–10× more equity
Than other "founding" engineer roles
Consumer product
Built for millions, with immediate unfiltered feedback
You Might Be a Fit If…
⚡
People regularly describe you as one of the most productive engineers they've met
🤖
Early adopter of agentic coding. Deep technical experience pre-AI with strong craft opinions.
🎥
Bonus: experience with vision/video models, memory systems, voice, or typed scientific Python
🏢
Fully in-person in SF. $175K–$225K. Monthly bonus if you live near the office.
Interview Process
Start to finish in under one week: 20-min screening call → 60-min technical interview → half-day onsite → reference checks.
Interview process
- 1Interview
What you'll do
- Work on all aspects of our application with our founder, design, and other engineers.
- Build new systems for memory, retrieval, proactivity, responsiveness, and more
- Work on and integrate the latest internal and external real-time video generation and audio synthesis models
- Create the bar for engineering quality and help recruit world-class talent.
- Dogfood the product extensively, because you care.
About Empathic Labs
“…but I tell you all today, I would rather die a man than live for all eternity a machine.” -Bicentennial Man (Asimov, 1976)
The world is trending towards fewer, shallower friendships, meaning more lonely people and less social contact than ever before. Empathic is creating a great friend for everyone on Earth, by digitizing connection, in what we think could be the biggest cultural transition of our lifetime.
Most AI “conversation” today is a robotic, sterile, turn-based interface. We’re building a realistic real-time video call medium where AI can be present and proactive, to connect with users. Users will connect not on a new destination, but the iMessage, Facetime, and other native apps they already love.
We're well funded (BoxGroup) and the founder is a Thiel Fellow, YC alum, Stanford dropout who recently sold his last company.
We intend to build a engineering-first organization of the highest quality, fully in-person in San Francisco. Think a room full of only the smartest people you've met, doing the best work of your life.
Our culture
- We intend to build a engineering-first organization of the highest quality, fully in-person in San Francisco. Think a room full of only the smartest people you've met, doing the best work of your life.
Ready to join Empathic Labs?
Take the next step in your career journey
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Empathic Labs pay for a Founding Engineer?
Empathic Labs offers a competitive compensation package for the Founding Engineer role. The salary range is USD 175k - 225k per year, plus 3-6% equity. Apply through Clera to learn more about the full compensation details.
What does a Founding Engineer do at Empathic Labs?
As a Founding Engineer at Empathic Labs, you will: work on all aspects of our application with our founder, design, and other engineers.; build new systems for memory, retrieval, proactivity, responsiveness, and more; work on and integrate the latest internal and external real-time video generation and audio synthesis models; and more.
Is the Founding Engineer position at Empathic Labs remote?
The Founding Engineer position at Empathic Labs is based in San Francisco, United States and is on-site. Contact the company through Clera for specific work arrangement details.
How do I apply for the Founding Engineer position at Empathic Labs?
You can apply for the Founding Engineer position at Empathic Labs directly through Clera. Click the "Apply Now" button above to start your application. Clera's AI-powered platform will help match your profile with this opportunity and guide you through the application process.