Founding iOS Engineer (San Francisco)
This is the third engineering hire a true founding engineer who owns core product surfaces end to end. The role is primarily front‑end/product on iOS, with real influence on direction and a mandate to solve problems independently, even when the spec is incomplete.
You’ll ship fast, think critically, push back thoughtfully, and act as a genuine “third brain” on a tiny, high‑velocity team.
What You’ll Do
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Own major iOS product surfaces (Swift, iOS 26, on‑device foundation models)
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Lead and build the two core features: Reminders and Sectionalized Notes
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Solve real product issues independently — from UX problems to hardware‑related transcript quality
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Take ownership of one measurable number (the understanding engine’s evaluation score) by month 3
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Make product calls in your area without needing founder oversight
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Fix adjacent issues proactively and report back with: what you did, what changed, what you’d improve
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Help evaluate and interview future engineering hires
Requirements
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A GitHub with finished, self‑driven projects that shipped and are used (not tutorials or abandoned starts)
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Strong initiative under ambiguity — sees what needs doing and does it without waiting for a ticket
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Fast execution that survives a real codebase; Swift landed in days (iOS experience helpful but not required)
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At least one shipped native mobile product
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Comfortable using AI agents as part of the workflow — shaping output, not pasting it
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Product taste, hacker energy, and good judgment on when to be perfectionist (privacy, validators) vs fast
Background
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1–2 years experience; explicitly not senior/siloed profiles
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Consumer/mobile/startup experience is a plus
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Hardware or on‑device ML familiarity is a nice‑to‑have, not a gate
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Pedigree is a weak tie‑breaker — shipped work matters most