Key Technical Requirements: SWE from Neo, AI Grant, or YC companies; ambition and ownership mentality; proficiency in JavaScript, React, <a href="http://next.js">next.js</a>, Tailwind CSS; top college/CS program grad or equivalent exceptionalism; startup/founder experience; strong UI/UX taste; fast feature shipping.

Core Responsibilities: Rapidly ship high-quality, scalable code; full-stack fluency; end-to-end project ownership; customer empathy through user interaction; shape AI transformation in US local/state governments.

Location: San Francisco, CA. Work Type: On-site. Visa Sponsorship: Available. Salary Range: $130k–$200k.

Our mission is to deliver world-class AI agents to every city across America ($3T/yr spend). Since raising $2m in March, we went from a team of 1 -&gt; 5, 10x'd revenue, and went from 2 -&gt; 15+ cities (across 1 -&gt; 10+ states). We're on track to be in 100+ cities (~$4-5m ARR) by March 2026.We help city staff save significant time on their workflows and leverage their data to make better decisions, faster. We’re creating a data network across every US city to agentically assist every action cities take. Bringing world-class AI to our local (and later state) governments is an enormous opportunity ($100B+ TAM).Help us win it all.

Founder/CEO

Prophecy Gov

Within the next few months, our founding engineers will bring a seismic GTM
inflection point, where adoption rate and ACVs drastically increase. The key
components of the MVP (frontend, backend, advanced RAG system, etc) have already
been built out by the founder, but we need fast-moving, obsessive, high-caliber
builders to make them robust, scalable, and extremely impressive.



Their impact on users and our trajectory will be extremely obvious in their
first few months, and they will reach full conviction that we are on track for
explosive growth. They'll rapidly ship high-quality code, and have end-to-end
ownership of high-impact and technically/strategically complex projects. It's
encouraged that they talk to users to develop customer empathy and domain
knowledge.



Ultimately, they will own and shape how AI transforms US local and state
governments. This will drastically improve the quality of life of everyone in
America, and help solve our country's largest crises: housing cost,
homelessness, transportation, safety, loneliness, etc.



And they will have been the few, non-fungible individuals that helped build the
0 -> 1 rocketship.

Andrew Fang

default plan

Intro Call

Paid Onsite Work Trial

Technical Project Review

Most candidates will be rejected or go direct to an onsite, rather than do a take-home. it's only for candidates that I'm feeling positive about, but would like to see a bit more before moving to onsite.I work with the candidate to design a project around their own passions and interests, often an extension of an existing side project, but one that'll also give me the signals I'm looking for.

Take-Home (for some candidates)

Founding Engineer (Frontend)

Within the next few months, our founding engineers will bring a seismic GTM inflection point, where adoption rate and ACVs drastically increase. The key components of the MVP (frontend, backend, advanced RAG system, etc) have already been built out by the founder, but we need fast-moving, obsessive, high-caliber builders to make them robust, scalable, and extremely impressive.Their impact on users and our trajectory will be extremely obvious in their first few months, and they will reach full conviction that we are on track for explosive growth. They'll rapidly ship high-quality code, and have end-to-end ownership of high-impact and technically/strategically complex projects. It's encouraged that they talk to users to develop customer empathy and domain knowledge.Ultimately, they will own and shape how AI transforms US local and state governments. This will drastically improve the quality of life of everyone in America, and help solve our country's largest crises: housing cost, homelessness, transportation, safety, loneliness, etc.And they will have been the few, non-fungible individuals that helped build the 0 -&gt; 1 rocketship.

Want to achieve greatness, and believe they can. Clear motivation, ambition, and ownership mentality - their career isn't just a "job".

Taste for startups in non-sexy industries (ex: real estate, construction, supply chain, etc.)

3+ years in Big Tech/FAANG. For new grads, having 1 internship in Big Tech/FAANG is OK, not multiple.

Experience as front-end software engineer at top high-growth/early-stage tech startups. Must have strong taste and instincts when it comes to UI/UX and be able to ship features quickly

Must have personal website / portfolio that showcases what they’ve built.

Proficiency in JavaScript, React, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://next.js">next.js</a>, Tailwind CSS

If no top school, must have worked at a top high-growth startup or have won a hackathon/award/TA'ed for a hard class/amazing GitHub projects, etc.

Founded / co-founded any tech startup

Too much non-technical experience (&gt;3 years)

Front-end leaning experience. Strong taste/instincts/aesthetic are important when it comes to UI/UX

Early SWE at any VC-backed SF/NYC-based GenAI startup

No GitHub projects or external independent work outside of school/work to show for

Learn fast and can show us multiple high-quality projects outside of class/work

SWE at any Neo, AI Grant, or YC company

Candidates overly focused on optimizing for work-life balance (70+ hrs/week)

Ability to ship high-quality features fast and code quickly

Graduated from top college / CS program (Stanford, University of Waterloo, Berkeley, CMU, etc.), or a Neo Scholar or ZFellow

Here's a summary of key insights for evaluating Founding Engineer (Frontend) applicants:

*   **Exceptionalism is Key:** Candidates must demonstrate exceptionalism through one or more of the following:
    *   Graduation from a top-tier university/CS program (e.g., Stanford, Waterloo, Berkeley, CMU).
    *   Prior experience at a high-caliber, fast-growing startup.
    *   Evidence of exceptionalism outside of formal education/work (e.g., winning hackathons, significant GitHub projects with high engagement, awards, TAing difficult courses).

*   **Technical Proficiency & Taste:**
    *   **Must-have skills:** JavaScript, React, Next.js, Tailwind CSS.
    *   **Strong UI/UX instincts and taste** are critical.
    *   Candidates should have a **personal website/portfolio** showcasing their work.
    *   Look for **high-quality, shipped code** and a demonstrable ability to ship features quickly. Avoid candidates with inflated project claims lacking substance.

*   **Experience & Mindset:**
    *   **0-5 years of experience** at high-talent density, high-growth, or elite-backed startups is preferred.
    *   **Builder-first mindset:** Prioritize candidates who are fast, scrappy, and proud of shipping personal or side projects.
    *   **Full-stack fluency** is a strong plus, even for a frontend role.
    *   **Ownership and ambition** are crucial; candidates should be motivated by impact and building from the ground up.
    *   **Startup or founder experience** is highly valued.

*   **Red Flags:**
    *   More than 3 years of experience in Big Tech/FAANG (1 internship is acceptable for new grads).
    *   Lack of independent projects or GitHub presence.
    *   Candidates prioritizing work-life balance over high-output, in-person work.
    *   Limited technical depth or substance in past projects.

Can sponsor for Top 10 CS candidate or candidate who has worked at top company

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