Senior C Developer - Search Core

📋 Description

• • Join Perplexity as a Senior C++ Developer on our groundbreaking Search Core team, where you will be instrumental in shaping the future of search technology. This is a unique opportunity to work on the very foundations of our next-generation search products, influencing critical architectural decisions and driving the implementation of core components within our sophisticated technical stack. You will be at the forefront of innovation, tackling complex challenges that demand exceptional engineering prowess and a deep understanding of high-performance systems.
• • Your primary focus will be on developing novel approaches to search index storage. This involves designing and implementing robust streaming and batch data processing systems engineered to thrive in a high-load environment. You will be responsible for systems capable of managing and processing billions of web pages, ensuring efficient and scalable data ingestion and retrieval. This requires a meticulous approach to data management, fault tolerance, and performance optimization under extreme conditions.
• • You will also be tasked with building new core search components from the ground up. This includes the development and refinement of advanced algorithms for efficient information retrieval and ranking. The goal is to push the boundaries of what's possible in search relevance and speed, ensuring our users receive the most accurate and timely results. This will involve extensive research, prototyping, and rigorous testing to validate algorithmic effectiveness.
• • A significant part of this role involves pushing the limits of hardware performance. You will delve into the intricacies of system-level optimization, ensuring our software maximizes the potential of underlying hardware. This includes a deep dive into areas such as CPU architecture, memory management, and I/O performance, aiming for unparalleled efficiency and speed.
• • Tackling complex challenges in multithreading and concurrency will be a daily occurrence. You will design and implement sophisticated multithreaded applications, managing intricate dependencies and ensuring thread safety. This requires a profound understanding of various concurrency models, synchronization primitives, and the inherent trade-offs involved in achieving high performance without compromising stability.
• • System-level optimization is paramount. You will identify performance bottlenecks across the entire search stack and implement targeted optimizations. This could involve low-level code tuning, memory layout adjustments, cache utilization strategies, and leveraging hardware-specific instructions to achieve maximum throughput and minimal latency.
• • Furthermore, you will be responsible for optimizing critical subsystems to ensure reliable and consistent data replication within the core search infrastructure. This involves designing and implementing mechanisms that guarantee data integrity and availability across distributed nodes, even in the face of network partitions or hardware failures. Ensuring high availability and disaster recovery capabilities will be a key aspect of your work.
• • You will collaborate closely with a talented team of engineers, product managers, and researchers, contributing to a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement. Your insights and contributions will directly impact the user experience and the overall success of Perplexity's search products.
• • This role offers the chance to work with cutting-edge technologies and solve some of the most challenging problems in the search domain. You will have the autonomy to explore new ideas, experiment with different approaches, and make a tangible impact on a product used by millions worldwide. If you are passionate about building high-performance, scalable systems and thrive in a fast-paced, innovative environment, this is the role for you.
• • You will be expected to mentor junior engineers, share your expertise, and contribute to the team's growth and development. Your experience will be invaluable in guiding technical discussions and fostering best practices within the engineering organization.
• • The work involves a deep understanding of distributed systems principles, network protocols, and operating system internals. You will be working on systems that operate at massive scale, requiring careful consideration of factors like latency, throughput, fault tolerance, and consistency.
• • You will have the opportunity to contribute to the entire software development lifecycle, from initial design and architecture to implementation, testing, deployment, and ongoing maintenance. This holistic involvement ensures a deep understanding and ownership of the systems you build.
• • The role demands a proactive approach to problem-solving, the ability to break down complex issues into manageable parts, and the persistence to see solutions through to completion. You will be expected to stay abreast of the latest advancements in C++ and search technology, continuously learning and applying new knowledge to your work.