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OpenAI Consumer Devices is building next-generation AI products for everyday use. As an Operating Systems Engineer focused on the Linux kernel, you will design, develop, and maintain kernel capabilities that underpin OpenAI's consumer devices. You'll work at the intersection of hardware, software, and AI, combining deep kernel expertise with full-stack ownership.
You will own features across the entire stack, from kernel subsystems through userspace services and libraries. Your responsibilities include designing and implementing Linux kernel subsystem changes, choosing appropriate kernel/userspace boundaries, debugging complex system behavior using tracing and profiling tools, measuring and validating performance/power/reliability improvements, and partnering with hardware, firmware, platform, and application engineers. You'll prepare reviewable patches, incorporate feedback, and contribute fixes upstream where appropriate, maintaining product-specific changes as the kernel evolves.
The team combines world-class researchers, engineers, designers, and operators working on zero-to-one challenges. You'll help define an entirely new category of products and shape how people experience AI in the future. Work involves custom silicon, embedded systems, operating systems, and cloud services to build reliable consumer devices and their platforms.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Substantial hands-on experience designing, developing, and debugging one or more Linux kernel subsystems (memory management, storage, networking, high-speed peripherals, power management, scheduling, virtualization)
- Proficiency in C for kernel and low-level systems development
- Strong understanding of kernel concurrency, synchronization, memory ownership, and resource lifetimes
- Experience delivering systems capabilities across kernel and userspace, including designing interfaces and diagnosing cross-boundary problems
- Understanding of Linux kernel development principles: maintainable designs, appropriate abstractions, reviewable patches, compatibility awareness, regression prevention
PREFERRED:
- Proficiency in Rust for systems programming with Linux kernel experience in Rust alongside C
- Participation in Linux community through patches, code review, testing, bug reports, or collaboration with subsystem maintainers
- Ownership of complete solutions and cross-system problem-solving
- Careful tradeoffs among functionality, security, performance, power, and maintainability with evidence-based decisions
- Constructive technical review and clear cross-disciplinary communication
