iOS Engineer, Payments

xAI’s mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge.

Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity.

We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company’s mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important.

All engineers and researchers are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.

About the role

We’re looking for an exceptional iOS Engineer for a new payments platform being built at X which serves 600 million+ monthly users. This is a high-priority role responsible for protecting users and the platform from fraud, abuse, and risk.

As an iOS engineer on the team, you’ll help shape the user experience and mobile architecture of  these new payments services from the ground up. You’ll work closely with the design and backend teams to build secure, responsive, and elegant payments features directly into the X iOS app. This is a rare opportunity to define how users engage with money in a social context—unlocking new digital experiences powered by speed, trust, and simplicity.

What You'll Do

• Design and build high-quality, scalable iOS features for payments, wallets, identity, and more


• Collaborate closely with backend and design to deliver seamless end-to-end user flows


• Ensure reliability, performance, and security of payments transactions on mobile


• Contribute to the architectural evolution of X’s iOS codebase with a focus on modularity and reusability


• Write clean, testable code and maintain high engineering standards across development and release


• Participate in code reviews, technical discussions, and roadmap planning

Who You Are

• Experienced: 5+ years building iOS applications in Swift, with deep understanding of UIKit and modern iOS frameworks


• Product-minded: You care about user experience, polish, and performance—especially in sensitive financial contexts


• Security- and privacy-conscious: You understand how to handle sensitive user data securely and responsibly


• Builder mentality: You’re energized by zero-to-one problems and thrive in fast-paced, iterative environments


• Collaborative communicator: You work well with cross-functional teams and clearly explain technical trade-offs

Bonus

• Experience working on mobile payments, digital wallets, or identity verification flows


• Familiarity with mobile security best practices (e.g., secure storage, encryption, biometric auth)


• Comfortable contributing across mobile architecture and backend APIs

Tech Stack (Optional)

• Swift


• Golang


• Postgres


• Kafka


• Memcached

Interview Process

After submitting your application, the team reviews your CV and statement of exceptional work. If your application passes this stage, you will be invited to a 30 minute phone interview, during which a member of our team will ask technical questions. If you clear the phone interview, you will proceed to next steps:

1. Coding assessment in a language of your choice.


2. Systems design: Translate high-level requirements into a scalable, fault-tolerant service.


3. Project deep-dive: Present your past exceptional work to a small audience.


4. Meet and greet with the wider team.

Our goal is to finish the main process within one week.

Location

The role is based in Palo Alto. Candidates are expected to be located near the Bay Area or open to relocation.

Annual Salary Range

$180,000 - $440,000 USD

xAI is an equal opportunity employer.

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