Embedded Linux Engineer, Foundations
San Carlos, CA (on-site)
About the Role
NEO is a humanoid robot that walks into homes, learns from video, and works alongside people. You'll own the Linux foundation that makes this possible.
This is the layer between silicon and intelligence, where the system boots fast, stays stable, debugs cleanly, and updates confidently. You'll ship the production-grade embedded Linux stack end-to-end, from bring-up to fleet: BSP, kernel, drivers, distribution. The operating system is a product, not an afterthought.
In This Role, You Will:
Build and maintain a custom embedded Linux distribution (Yocto) for 1X hardware: BSP, rootfs, and toolchain with reproducible builds and release artifacts
Own kernel and driver development: device tree, board bring-up, peripheral enablement, performance tuning, upstream/downstream Linux patch strategy
Deliver production-quality system software: boot chain, init, services, logging, crash capture, and fast deterministic startup
Create tooling for provisioning, flashing, and over-the-air updates across a growing fleet, along with automated tests and hardware bring-up workflows
Take platform ownership from prototype to high-volume production, making reliability and optimization tradeoffs as hardware evolves
Build and improve CI/CD for embedded images, kernel builds, and validation
You Might Thrive In This Role If You:
Have 5+ years shipping embedded Linux systems in production
Have written production device drivers for common buses (I2C, SPI, CAN, USB, Ethernet, PCIe) and can read schematics to reason about hardware behavior from software symptoms
Have built with Yocto or Buildroot and hold strong opinions about build systems, release engineering, and test automation
Debug at the kernel level with confidence and trace software root causes
Are comfortable in high-ownership environments where you define the standard rather than inherit it
Benefits & Compensation
Salary Range: $155,000 – $250,000 + Equity
Health, dental, and vision insurance
401(k) with company match
Paid time off and holidays
Equal Opportunity Employer
1X is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
Skills Required
- 5+ years shipping embedded Linux systems in production
- Written production device drivers for common buses
- Built with Yocto or Buildroot
- Debug at the kernel level confidently
- Comfortable in high-ownership environments
What We Do
1X is a leader in humanoid robotics, creating humanoid robots for the home as a first step in developing general purpose robots 1X’s mission is to create an abundance of labor through safe, intelligent humanoids that work alongside people.
