get hired at
Phinity Labs
AI agents that design, verify and tape out custom chips
- —
- UCLASMV+2
- San Francisco
- AI
Open roles at Phinity Labs
4 positions we're tracking, re-checked daily
- apply ↗
Physical Design Lead (San Francisco, on-site)
san francisco, usaSeniorfirst seen today - apply ↗
Research Engineer, Hardware Data (San Francisco, on-site)
san francisco, usaMid-levelfirst seen today - apply ↗
Head of Operations (San Francisco, on-site)
san francisco, usaSeniorfirst seen today - apply ↗
Open Application
san francisco, usaMid-levelfirst seen today
Know when Phinity Labs is hiring before anyone else
A role stays uncontested for about four days. Here's the window, and where we put you in it.
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- live
- +2h+2hrole spotted & verified1
- +4h+4hyou get the alert1
- day 3day 3you've applied~8
- day 7+day 7+hits the job boards250+
What Phinity Labs is building
Phinity's pitch is "prompt-to-silicon": AI agents that take a chip from architecture exploration through verification to tapeout in one closed loop, steered by physical feedback (power, performance, area) instead of a human handing work between tools. The 2028 goal is on the homepage: "describe the chip you need and get a GDS file back in weeks, not years." The important word is closed-loop. Frontier coding agents can already write Verilog. What they can't do is tell whether that RTL closes timing, fits the area budget or passes formal verification, and then go back and fix the architecture. Phinity says its agents produce verified designs an order of magnitude faster, with better PPA, than experienced engineers using frontier coding agents. It hasn't published a benchmark for that. The team is the credibility. Per the launch post it includes a former leader of Intel's custom silicon group, a former ASIC lead at Kepler Computing, ex-NVIDIA architects who led advanced-node tapeouts, and researchers who trained LLMs for chip design and formal verification. Its customers are "some of the largest foundation model labs", which means the companies that most want custom accelerators and least want to wait two years for them.
Why this matters
Phinity's launch post says silicon development takes 9 to 24 months, and that cycle is now the bottleneck for AI labs that want custom accelerators. Synopsys and Cadence own the EDA toolchain and have been adding AI (Synopsys reported its first 100 commercial tapeouts with DSO.ai in early 2023), but they bolt AI onto existing flows. Phinity is betting on the opposite: an agent that owns the whole loop and treats the tools as instruments. If an 8-person team really reached an eight-figure run rate selling to frontier labs, the demand is clearly there.
Investors: Uncork Capital (lead, Amy Saper), Moxxie Ventures, Pear VC, Angels: Jeff Dean
Hiring outlook
Explicit but small. Coverage says the round funds engineering hiring for chip design and AI systems, and the Ashby board has three specific roles posted the day of the launch, plus an open application. The blog's own line is "a lean, deeply technical team", so expect a few senior hires, not a hiring wave.
Working at Phinity Labs
Phinity Labs is a AI company based in San Francisco, USA. Working at a AI company at this stage means opportunity to shape your role based on the company stage.
San Francisco, USA is where most Phinity Labs positions are located.
How to actually get hired at Phinity Labs
Why applying the normal way doesn't work
Phinity Labs runs an applicant tracking system, but hiring managers still work referrals first. A cold application to Phinity Labs isn't dead, it's just fourth in line behind internal referrals, sourced candidates and recruiter pipelines.
Who to contact at Phinity Labs
- Who decides
- the hiring manager
- Best channel
- LinkedIn or direct email
What to show them
A concrete example from a past tapeout: a timing or congestion problem at advanced node, the ECO loop you ran to close it, and which parts of that loop you think an agent could own today versus which still need judgment. Bonus if you've scripted any of it in your PnR flow.
A cold email that works at Phinity Labs
What Phinity Labs screens for
Uncork's Amy Saper leading makes sense for a technical seed with revenue. Her LinkedIn post claimed the run rate came in under three months. Jeff Dean as an angel is the clearest signal on the cap table. He co-authored Google's work on ML for chip placement, so this is a bet from someone who has seen ML-driven chip design up close. The hiring window is narrow: about 8 people, three named roles, and Physical Design Lead is the critical one, because physical feedback is what closes their loop. A strong PD engineer joining now would effectively define how the agent understands timing and area.
Customize your CV for the Phinity Labs role. Matching the job description language helps clear ATS filters.
Don't make these mistakes
Pitching yourself as an "AI for chips" enthusiast. Sonya built synthetic-data pipelines for NVIDIA's chip-design LLMs, and Aadi works on synthetic data and post-training. They know exactly where models fail on RTL. Don't lead with "I've used Copilot to write Verilog" either. That's the baseline Phinity claims to beat by 10x. Lead with silicon you've closed, or with a specific way LLMs fail at verification that you've measured.
Mistakes that kill Phinity Labs applications
Generic CVs stand out at a -person company — and not in a good way. Fastest path to rejection.
Don't open with what you want. Open with what Phinity Labs is dealing with right now — Phinity's launch post says silicon development takes 9 to 24 months, and that cycle is now the bottleneck for AI labs that want custom accelerators, and what you'd do about it.
Most AI applications get ghosted. A day-five follow-up can double your response rate.
Applying to Phinity Labs? Get the contact, not the form.
The Phinity Labs interview process
We don't yet have verified candidate reports for Phinity Labs. What follows is the typical process for a -person AI company, so treat it as a model, not confirmed detail.
Interview stages
- 1
Recruiter Screen
Phone or video · 30 min
What it testsBasic qualification and logisticsUsually run byRecruiter or HR - 2
Hiring Manager Interview
Video call · 45 min
What it testsRole fit and experience deep-diveUsually run byHiring manager - 3
Technical/Functional Round
Video call · 60 min
What it testsSkills assessment and problem-solvingUsually run byTeam members - 4
Final Round
In-person or video · 60 min
What it testsCulture fit and cross-functional alignmentUsually run bySenior leadership
Phinity Labs take-home assignment
Phinity Labs includes a take-home exercise in their interview process. For AI roles, this typically involves a practical problem that takes 2-4 hours. Focus on clean, working code over premature optimization. They're evaluating how you think and communicate, not just the solution.
Phinity Labs interview timeline
Expect 14 days total. Compared to similar AI companies (14 days median), Phinity Labs is about average.
Interviewed at Phinity Labs?
Tell us how it went: stages, questions, timeline. Takes 90 seconds and it's how this page stays accurate for the next person.
Phinity Labs jobs, frequently asked questions
How many jobs does Phinity Labs have open?
4 open roles at Phinity Labs, last checked October 13, 2026.
Does Phinity Labs hire remotely?
Currently, Phinity Labs only has in-office roles in San Francisco, USA.
What roles is Phinity Labs hiring for?
Phinity Labs is hiring across Design, Engineering, Operations, Other. The most recent opening is Physical Design Lead (San Francisco, on-site).
How do I apply for a job at Phinity Labs?
Use the apply links above, or check our guide to getting hired at Phinity Labs.
Does Phinity Labs respond to cold emails?
Response rate data for Phinity Labs not yet confirmed.
Who is the hiring manager at Phinity Labs?
At this size, hiring is usually run by the hiring manager.
How competitive is it to get hired at Phinity Labs?
Expect 100-250 applicants in the first two weeks for AI roles at this size. Apply within 72 hours for best odds.
How many rounds is the Phinity Labs interview?
4 stages: Recruiter Screen, Hiring Manager Interview, Technical/Functional Round, Final Round.
Is the Phinity Labs interview hard?
Focus on technical depth and system design, not puzzles. Technical Interview is reportedly the most challenging round.
Does Phinity Labs give a take-home task?
Yes, Phinity Labs includes a take-home assignment.
How long does Phinity Labs take to get back to you?
Around 14 days across the full process.
What should I prepare for the Phinity Labs interview?
technical depth and system design is the priority. Show you can work autonomously — that matters more than algorithms at people.
Where is Phinity Labs based?
Phinity Labs is headquartered in San Francisco, USA.
Get Phinity Labs roles before they're posted
A role stays uncontested for about four days. Here's the window, and where we put you in it.
From $5.99/week, cancel any time.
- live
- +2h+2hrole spotted & verified1
- +4h+4hyou get the alert1
- day 3day 3you've applied~8
- day 7+day 7+hits the job boards250+
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