Software Engineer - Operating Systems

ABOUT 1X

We’re building humanoid robots that work in home - doing the chores, handling the tasks, and giving people their time back. Simple, but it’s not.

To do this right, we have to solve robotics, AI, manufacturing - at the same time, at scale, in a form factor that has to be safe enough to live with your family. If you’re inspired by this, you’ll thrive here. We’ve been at this since 2014 and we’re at the point where the hard problems are behind us and the hard work is in front of us.

NEO is our flagship - a home robot designed to move, learn, and operate in the real world alongside real people. We’re not demoing it - we’re shipping it. We’re excited to meet you, if this excites you.

If you’ve spent your career working on problems that matter and want to see them actually reach the world - this is that moment. We’re scaling, we’re hiring with intention, and we need people who want to build something that will genuinely change how humans spend their time - safely creating abundance for all.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Foundations team owns the platform that NEO runs on from the moment silicon powers up to the software stack that perception, planning, and controls depend on. We build and ship the embedded Linux distribution, BSP, kernel, drivers, and system software end-to-end: this is the layer between hardware and intelligence, and its stability, boot speed, and update reliability directly determines what every other team can ship. If you want to own the OS as a product, not an afterthought, this is that team.

YOUR CHARTER

Own the embedded Linux foundation for NEO from BSP and kernel through distribution, provisioning, and OTA updates, ensuring it boots fast, stays stable, debugs cleanly, and updates confidently as we scale from prototypes to a growing fleet in homes and warehouses. This is critical-path work: every other team’s ability to develop, test, and ship depends on a platform that is reproducible, observable, and production-grade. The operating system is a product, and you are its owner.

KEY OUTCOMES

• Ship a production-grade custom embedded Linux distribution (Yocto) with reproducible builds, fast deterministic startup, and release artifacts that the full engineering team can depend on across hardware revisions
• Own kernel and driver development end-to-end device tree, board bring-up, peripheral enablement such that new hardware platforms are enabled on schedule with minimal downstream disruption
• Deliver reliable fleet tooling for provisioning, flashing, and OTA updates that scales from dozens of prototypes to high-volume production without manual intervention or data loss
• Build CI/CD for embedded images and kernel builds that catches regressions before they reach hardware, reducing bring-up cycles and unblocking dependent teams faster

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Platform ownership mindset treating the OS as a product with real users, not a build artifact; holds strong opinions about release engineering, reproducibility, and what “production-grade” means for embedded Linux
• Kernel-level fluency debugging confidently at the kernel level, traces software root causes from hardware symptoms, and writes production device drivers for common buses (I2C, SPI, CAN, USB, Ethernet, PCIe)
• Schematic literacy reading hardware schematics to reason about behavior from software symptoms, reducing the round-trip between firmware investigation and hardware root cause
• High-ownership operator defining the standard rather than inheriting it; takes end-to-end responsibility from prototype bring-up through fleet-scale production hardening

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• 5+ years shipping embedded Linux systems in production, including BSP, kernel customization, and distribution ownership
• Proven experience writing production device drivers and working with Yocto or Buildroot for custom embedded distributions
• Demonstrated ability to debug at the kernel level and trace software root causes, comfortable with kernel tracing tools, serial consoles, and crash capture

PREFERRED SKILLS

• Experience designing and operating OTA update systems for embedded fleets, including rollback, partial updates, and reliability under real-world network conditions
• Familiarity with real-time Linux extensions (PREEMPT_RT) or low-latency kernel configuration for robotics or industrial applications
• Experience taking a hardware platform from early prototype through high-volume production, including reliability and optimization tradeoffs as hardware evolves
• Background in robotics, autonomous vehicles, or other physical systems where platform stability has direct operational consequences

WHAT DOES A SUCCESSFUL 1X TEAM MEMBER LOOK LIKE

Team members at 1X who thrive here are builders. They move fast, own their work completely, and treat time like it’s the one thing you can’t get back - because it is. They say what they mean, finish what they start, and hold themselves to a standard before anyone has to ask. We push each other to be better, and we do it with honesty and respect. =

COMPENSATION RANGE

$200,000 – $280,000 + Equity

BENEFITS

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Generous paid time off, company holidays, and parental leave
• 401(k) plan with company match (100% on the first 3% of contributions, 50% on the next 2%)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) options
• Commuter benefits (transit and parking)
• Short-term and long-term disability, and life insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for mental health, financial, and personal support
• Onsite snacks and catered lunches

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

1X is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, disability, military or veteran status, justice system impact, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.