How to Actually Get Hired

Why applying the normal way doesn't work

Antioch runs an applicant tracking system, but hiring managers still work referrals first. A cold application to Antioch isn't dead, it's just fourth in line behind internal referrals, sourced candidates and recruiter pipelines.

Who to contact at Antioch

What to show them

The core product is a simulation environment. Building it requires deep knowledge of physics engines, sensor modelling (LiDAR, cameras, depth sensors), and the specific failure modes that cause sim-to-real gaps. As Antioch expands to support more robot types and environments, this is the first team that grows. Core skills: ROS2, physics simulation (Isaac Sim, Gazebo, or equivalent), sensor noise modelling, Python/C++, reinforcement learning for robotics, domain randomization techniques. Proof of work: Build or document a simulation environment for a specific edge case (a robot arm picking from a cluttered bin, a mobile robot navigating a reflective surface) and write a short analysis of where the sim-to-real gap is largest in that scenario and how you would reduce it. Even a written technical proposal counts more than silence here.

A cold email that works at Antioch

What Antioch screens for

Screening signal: Shyam Sankar (Palantir CTO) is an angel investor. Sankar does not make casual bets. Palantir's core product is the infrastructure layer that allows government and enterprise operators to act on complex data in real time. His investment thesis here is legible: Antioch is building the infrastructure layer for physical AI in the same way Palantir built the infrastructure layer for data intelligence. He expects the platform to serve defence, national security, and industrial customers alongside commercial robotics teams, which is consistent with what co-founders Harry Mellsop and Alex Langshur have said publicly about the national security angle. Adrian Macneil's angel check is equally revealing. Macneil founded Foxglove, the leading robotics data visualization and debugging tool. He is not a generalist investor. He put money in because he sees Antioch as the missing simulation layer in the stack that Foxglove already serves. Together, they are building toward the GitHub and Stripe ecosystem of physical AI developer tools. That ecosystem framing is what shapes the hiring: Antioch is building for developer experience first, which means product, infrastructure, and robotics engineering are the dominant roles. The careers page has no listed roles but says explicitly: reach out to founders@antioch.com. That is not a placeholder. That is an invitation to bypass the queue entirely.

A tailored CV beats a generic one. Use Antioch's job description language to clear filters.

Mistakes that kill applications

Frequently asked questions