Operating Systems Engineer, Linux Kernel | Consumer Devices
About this role
OpenAI Consumer Devices builds products that integrate powerful artificial intelligence into everyday life by combining custom silicon, embedded systems, operating systems, and cloud services. The Linux kernel team designs, develops, and maintains kernel capabilities that anchor these consumer devices while connecting kernel development to the broader software stack. Engineers in this function design subsystem changes, establish kernel and userspace boundaries, and resolve complex performance and reliability challenges across development and production environments.
Day-to-day work involves building and maintaining Linux kernel subsystem changes, defining interfaces across the software stack, and debugging issues related to correctness, concurrency, and power management. Individuals also measure performance improvements, partner with hardware and application engineering groups, and contribute sustainable patches upstream. Successful candidates bring substantial hands-on systems development experience and thrive when taking ownership of complete solutions that cross system boundaries.
What you will do
- Design, implement, and maintain Linux kernel subsystem modifications that fulfill product requirements and device capabilities.
- Establish appropriate boundaries between kernel and userspace components to deliver reliable features in shipped hardware.
- Debug complex system behaviors involving correctness, concurrency, performance, power, and reliability issues using diagnostic tools.
- Validate improvements by developing tests and representative workloads that measure performance gains and detect regressions.
- Collaborate across hardware, firmware, platform, and application engineering teams to translate system requirements into maintainable solutions.
- Contribute reviewable patches and upstream fixes while responsibly maintaining product-specific kernel changes.
What you need
- Substantial hands-on experience designing, developing, and debugging Linux kernel subsystems like memory management, storage, networking, or scheduling.
- Proficiency in the C programming language for kernel and low-level systems development.
- Strong understanding of kernel concurrency, synchronization, memory ownership, and resource lifetimes.
- Experience delivering systems capabilities across the boundary between kernel and userspace environments.
- Familiarity with Linux kernel development principles including maintainable designs, appropriate abstractions, and compatibility awareness.
Nice to have
- Proficiency in Rust for systems programming and developing Linux kernel code in Rust alongside C
- Active participation in the Linux community through patches, code review, testing, or collaboration with subsystem maintainers
Benefits
- Offers Equity
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
What is the salary range for this role?
The salary for this position ranges from $230K to $385K and includes equity offers.
Where is the position located?
The role is based in San Francisco.
What technologies and languages are used?
The work centers on the Linux kernel using the C programming language, with optional use of Rust for systems programming alongside C.