About the Software Engineer Role at Exa

Exa is an applied AI lab building a web-scale search engine that already powers search for Cursor, Cognition, HubSpot, and over 400,000 developers, backed by $350M from Lightspeed, Benchmark, and a16z. This posting is for a Full Stack Engineer on the Engineering team in San Francisco, focused on everything developers and agents touch: the developer dashboard, APIs, SDKs, and the broader developer platform. You could build agentic onboarding flows, shape the Exa API and SDKs into the cleanest agentic search platform in the ecosystem, architect the API gateway every request flows through, or build account, billing, permissions, and provisioning surfaces for enterprise customers.

Exa wants strong generalist engineers who own the product lifecycle from design to deploy. They expect fluency in TypeScript with a sharp eye for front-end design, real experience designing and maintaining backend APIs that customers depend on, and a track record shipping products for LLMs, AI agents, or other widely used systems. Most of all, they want people who care deeply about the problem of finding high quality information.

Quick Stats

* Typical process: 4 to 5 rounds, roughly 2 to 4 weeks

* Format: Recruiter phone screen, remote technical rounds, then an in-person onsite in San Francisco

* Core focus: TypeScript full-stack, backend API design, front-end/UX craft, LLM and agent product experience, ownership

* Difficulty: Hard, because you must show both hands-on TypeScript full-stack depth and product judgment for developer-facing, agent-consumed surfaces

What Exa Looks For

* Strong generalist engineers comfortable owning products end to end from design to deploy

* TypeScript fluency plus a strong eye for front-end design

* Experience designing and maintaining backend APIs real customers depend on

* People who have shipped products for LLMs or AI agents and care about high quality search

Round 1: Recruiter Screen (~30 minutes)

What to Expect

A recruiter or hiring manager walks through your background, why Exa, and whether the logistics fit (this is an in-person role in San Francisco, with visa sponsorship possible). Expect a quick pitch of the company mission and questions about your generalist experience, your comfort with TypeScript, and the kinds of products you have shipped. They are checking motivation, seniority fit, and whether the compensation band and in-person expectation line up before investing engineering time.

Example Questions

* "Why Exa, and why do you care about the problem of high quality search?"

* "Walk me through a product you owned end to end, from design to deploy."

* "Are you comfortable working in person in San Francisco?"

* "What is your experience building developer-facing APIs or SDKs?"

Tips

* Have a crisp two-minute story that connects your full-stack background to Exa's developer platform and search mission.

* Be ready to speak concretely about compensation expectations and any visa needs early so there are no surprises.

* Rehearse this call with Nora's Standard Mode to tighten your pitch and handle the classic phone-screen mix smoothly.

Round 2: Technical Coding Screen (~60 minutes)

What to Expect

A live coding round, most likely in TypeScript, run remotely by an engineer. For a full-stack developer platform role, expect practical problems over abstract algorithm puzzles: parsing and transforming API responses, implementing a small endpoint handler, working with async code and data structures, or building a focused UI component. You will be evaluated on clean, correct code, how you reason through edge cases, and how you communicate tradeoffs while you work.

Example Questions

* "Implement a rate limiter for an API gateway that all requests flow through."

* "Given a paginated API response, write a function that fetches and merges all pages."

* "Build a small typed client wrapper around this endpoint with retries and error handling."

* "Design and code a component that renders search results with loading and error states."

Tips

* Think out loud and state your assumptions about inputs, failure modes, and types before you start typing.

* Practice in TypeScript specifically, including async/await, error handling, and typed API contracts.

* Drill this format with Nora's Technical Mode so you get comfortable narrating tradeoffs under time pressure.

Round 3: System / API Design (~60 minutes)

What to Expect

A design conversation tied directly to what this role builds: the API gateway every Exa request flows through, ergonomic SDKs, agentic onboarding flows, or account, billing, and permissions surfaces. You will sketch an architecture, reason about scale, latency, authentication, rate limiting, and developer ergonomics, and defend your choices. Because Exa serves 400,000+ developers and agents, expect emphasis on clean interfaces, reliability, and designs that are pleasant for both humans and agents to consume.

Example Questions

* "Design the API gateway that every Exa request passes through. How do you handle auth, rate limiting, and observability?"

* "How would you design an SDK that is ergonomic for both developers and AI agents?"

* "Walk me through building an agentic onboarding flow from sign-up to first successful API call."

* "How would you architect billing, permissions, and provisioning for enterprise customers?"

Tips

* Anchor your design in developer and agent experience, not just backend plumbing, since this role owns the full surface.

* Call out tradeoffs explicitly (latency vs consistency, flexibility vs simplicity) and tie them to Exa's scale.

* Run a mock design round in Nora's Technical Mode to practice structuring an answer and responding to probing follow-ups.

Round 4: Onsite (Behavioral + Ownership) (~2 to 3 hours in San Francisco)

What to Expect

An in-person onsite in San Francisco combining additional technical depth with behavioral and culture-fit conversations. Expect to meet several engineers and possibly a founder. Behavioral questions probe ownership, how you ship fast under ambiguity, how you collaborate, and whether you genuinely care about the search problem. Given Exa's stage and mission, they want people who take end-to-end responsibility and move quickly on developer-facing products.

Example Questions

* "Tell me about a time you owned a product from design through deploy and what broke along the way."

* "Describe a moment you shipped something for LLMs or agents used by many people."

* "How do you make tradeoffs when moving fast on a customer-facing feature under deadline pressure?"

* "Why is building better search than Google a problem worth your time?"

Tips

* Prepare three to four STAR stories that highlight ownership, shipping speed, and impact on real users.

* Show authentic conviction about the search and information-quality mission, not just interest in the tech.

* Practice these with Nora's Behavioral Mode to sharpen your STAR structure and keep answers concise and specific.

Round 5: Offer & Negotiation (~30 minutes)

What to Expect

If Exa moves forward, a recruiter or hiring manager discusses the offer. The posted range is $180K to $350K plus equity, a wide band that leaves real room based on level and experience. Expect conversation about base, equity, benefits (premium healthcare, fertility, 16 weeks paid parental leave, wellness stipend), and any visa sponsorship logistics. This is where you clarify level and align on total compensation.

Example Questions

* "What are your compensation expectations for this role?"

* "How do you weigh base salary versus equity at an early-stage lab?"

* "Do you have competing offers or timelines we should know about?"

* "What would make this an easy yes for you?"

Tips

* Know where you fall in the $180K to $350K band and justify it with your level, TypeScript depth, and shipped impact.

* Ask about equity details and how the company frames upside given the $350M raised.

* Rehearse the back-and-forth with Nora's Salary Negotiation Mode so you can anchor confidently without underselling yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1) How many rounds are there?

Expect about 4 to 5 rounds: a recruiter screen, a technical coding screen, a system/API design round, an in-person onsite combining technical and behavioral interviews, and an offer discussion. Exa does not publish its exact loop, so treat this as the typical structure for a full-stack role at a company of this stage.

2) What topics are most common?

* TypeScript full-stack coding, backend API design, and front-end component work

* System design for API gateways, SDKs, agentic onboarding, and billing/permissions surfaces, plus ownership-focused behavioral questions

3) How long does the process take?

Usually about 2 to 4 weeks depending on scheduling and availability for the in-person onsite in San Francisco. Fast-moving candidates can compress this further.

4) How should I prepare?

* Sharpen your TypeScript, including async patterns, typed API clients, and clean front-end components.

* Study API and platform design: gateways, rate limiting, auth, ergonomic SDKs, and developer onboarding.

* Prepare STAR stories about owning products end to end and shipping for LLMs or agents used by many people.

* Use Nora's Standard Mode for the recruiter screen, Technical Mode for the coding and design rounds, Behavioral Mode for the onsite, and Salary Negotiation Mode for the offer stage.