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Softmax
AI alignment research lab pursuing "organic alignment", how intelligent agents learn to cooperate without being controlled
Last verified August 15, 2026 · Updated daily
What Softmax is building
Softmax is a research lab and eventual product company built around a single thesis: that AI alignment doesn't have to be hierarchical and control-based. Instead, the founders believe intelligent systems can learn to align themselves, the way cells form organisms, ants form colonies, humans form teams. They call this "organic alignment." In practice, that means running reinforcement learning experiments with small-scale agents in virtual environments to study how cooperative behaviours, role differentiation, and shared goals emerge naturally from multi-agent interaction. The models are small (millions of parameters, not billions) and the work is firmly in the research phase, but it's generating outputs: published writing, multi-agent frameworks, and an experimental codebase in active development.
Why this matters
The dominant approach to AI alignment, RLHF, constitutional AI, hard-coded constraints, works by imposing values from the outside. Softmax's argument is that this produces brittle alignment that breaks as systems get smarter. Their alternative is grounded in biology and collective intelligence research: if you build the right conditions for cooperation, alignment emerges as a property of the system rather than a constraint on it. This matters because the field is bifurcating: one branch is scaling models faster than safety understanding can keep up, another is trying to solve safety before scaling further. Softmax sits in the second camp with a genuinely novel theoretical framework, not a tweak to existing approaches, but a different starting point. The a16z backing signals that at least one major institution believes this framework can eventually commercialise. Plural, a European VC focused on social and governance technology, adds further signal that this isn't purely academic, there's a product arc being sketched.
Open roles at Softmax
3 positions we're tracking. Roles are re-checked daily and removed when filled.
Hiring outlook
Research lab with a live experiment pipeline, 10 people, 2 open roles publicly posted, unusually few for a team at this stage with this investor pedigree. The next hires are coming, they just haven't listed them yet.
Working at Softmax
Since , Softmax has built AI alignment research lab pursuing "organic alignment", how intelligent agents learn to cooperate without being controlled. The team is now <50 people. For a AI company this size, the reality is broad remit, direct access to founders, and equity that still means something if the company works out.
Most openings are based out of San Francisco.
Frequently asked questions
How many jobs does Softmax have open?
3 open roles at Softmax, last checked March 2025.
Does Softmax hire remotely?
Softmax doesn't have remote openings at the moment. All roles are in San Francisco.
What roles is Softmax hiring for?
Softmax is hiring across Engineering, Other, Data. The most recent opening is Research Engineer (Multi-Agent RL).
How do I apply for a job at Softmax?
Use the apply links above, or check our guide to getting hired at Softmax.
Where is Softmax based?
Softmax is headquartered in San Francisco.
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