Software Engineer

AppLovin is building a next-generation social platform, redefining how people create, share, and engage with content. As a founding Backend Engineer, you will architect the digital backbone, designing and building robust, scalable systems for seamless media delivery, real-time social interactions, and intelligent content discovery. You will optimize database queries, design new APIs, and implement sophisticated services, making critical architectural decisions to transform ambitious ideas into technical reality, working closely with product managers and AI engineers.

Must Have

• Design and develop core backend services and APIs
• Build and optimize large-scale distributed systems
• Architect data infrastructure for analytics and ML
• Implement robust content ecosystem and safety mechanisms
• Create scalable real-time services for social features
• Proficiency in Go, Java, or Python
• Experience with relational and NoSQL databases
• Experience with message queues and caching systems
• Solid understanding of system design, data structures, and algorithms
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and container technologies

Good to Have

• Experience with media streaming protocols and processing pipelines
• Knowledge of recommendation systems or machine learning infrastructure
• Background in real-time communication technologies
• Previous work on social platforms or content-driven products

Perks & Benefits

• Autonomy, impact, and velocity of a startup
• Resources, stability, and expertise of an industry leader
• Unparalleled ownership over technical architecture
• Opportunity to build systems for millions of users
• Work with cutting-edge technologies
• Solve unique challenges in social networking, real-time engagement, and AI-driven content discovery

About AppLovin

AppLovin makes technologies that help businesses of every size connect to their ideal customers. The company provides end-to-end software and AI solutions for businesses to reach, monetize and grow their global audiences. For more information about AppLovin, visit: www.applovin.com

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To deliver on this mission, our global team is composed of team members with life experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives that mirror our developers and customers around the world. At AppLovin, we are intentional about the team and culture we are building, seeking candidates who are outstanding in their own right and also demonstrate their support of others.

Fortune recognizes AppLovin as one of the Best Workplaces in the Bay Area, and the company has been a Certified Great Place to Work for the last four years (2021-2024). Check out the rest of our awards HERE

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At AppLovin, we're pioneering the future of social connectivity by building a next-generation platform that redefines how people create, share and engage with content. This new venture represents a unique opportunity to architect the foundational systems that will power immersive social experiences for millions of users. Combining the innovation of a startup with the scale of an industry leader, we're assembling an exceptional technical team to bring this vision to life from the ground up.

【A Day in the Life】

As a founding Backend Engineer for this venture, you will architect the digital backbone of our next-generation social platform. You'll design and build robust, scalable systems that power everything from seamless media delivery and real-time social interactions to our intelligent content discovery engine. Your day might involve optimizing database queries to handle millions of concurrent content requests, designing new APIs for real-time engagement features, and implementing sophisticated services for content ecosystem management. You won't just write code - you'll make critical architectural decisions that form the foundation of our product, working directly with product managers and AI engineers to transform ambitious ideas into technical reality.

【The Impact You'll Make】

• Design and Build Core Services: Architect and develop our fundamental backend services and APIs that support content delivery, user interactions, and creator capabilities
• Develop Scalable Systems: Build and optimize large-scale distributed systems for media processing, storage, and content distribution
• Architect Data Infrastructure: Design our data infrastructure to support real-time analytics and empower machine learning recommendation systems
• Ensure Platform Integrity: Implement robust content ecosystem and safety mechanisms to maintain platform health and user trust
• Enable Real-time Engagement: Create scalable real-time services for social features including messaging, notifications, and live interactions

【Who You Are】

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent practical experience
• 1-3 years of backend development experience with demonstrated expertise in building distributed systems
• Deep proficiency in at least one backend language (Go, Java, Python) and their ecosystems
• Strong experience with relational and NoSQL databases, message queues, and caching systems
• Proven track record of designing, building, and scaling high-traffic backend services
• Solid understanding of system design, data structures, and algorithms
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and container technologies
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to excel in a fast-paced startup environment

【Bonus Qualifications】

• Experience with media streaming protocols and processing pipelines
• Knowledge of recommendation systems or machine learning infrastructure
• Background in real-time communication technologies
• Previous work on social platforms or content-driven products

【Why Join This Venture】

This is more than a job - it's a startup within a proven industry leader. You'll get the ideal combination of a startup's autonomy, impact, and velocity with the resources, stability, and expertise of AppLovin. As a founding engineer, you'll have unparalleled ownership over our technical architecture and the opportunity to build systems that could eventually serve millions of users. You'll work with cutting-edge technologies while solving unique challenges in social networking, real-time engagement, and AI-driven content discovery. Join our small, mission-driven team and help create the next growth story from scratch.

AppLovin is proud to be an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about EEO rights as an applicant here

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If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send us a request at accommodations@applovin.com.

AppLovin will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law. If you’re applying for a position in California, learn more here

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To support an efficient and fair hiring process, we may use technology-assisted tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to help identify and evaluate candidates. All hiring decisions are ultimately made by human reviewers.

Please read our Global Applicant Privacy Notice

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