Mochi Verified
Artificial Intelligence
Founding Product Engineer
Los Angeles, CAOnsiteFull Time$120,000–$180,000 /yrPosted 18 days agoHidden Gem · YC Startup
Required skills
- anime
- shipped consumer apps
- taste
- AI tools
- debug
- fix
Nice to have
- mobile
- video
- feed
- social products
- Figma
- motion
Role summary
Mochi, a rapidly growing AI anime platform backed by Y Combinator, is seeking a Founding Product Engineer to lead their app development end-to-end. This hybrid role combines product strategy, design sensibility, and hands-on building with AI tools. The ideal candidate has experience shipping consumer apps, strong user instincts, an eye for detail, and a bias for action. You will work directly with the founders to shape the future of anime creation. Experience with mobile, video, feed, or social products, and design skills are a plus.
**About us**
[Mochi](https://www.mochi.tv/) is the future of anime.
We're the #1 app for AI anime, where fans make the stories. In just 2 months, we’ve grown to 20K+ creators publishing 2K+ series a month, with originals from Marvel, Toei, and Webtoon writers. To date we’ve crossed [300M views on socials](https://www.instagram.com/watchmochitv).
We’ve raised $4.5M from Y Combinator and angels like the founder of Crunchyroll. You'll join a strike team of lifelong anime fans reinventing how anime gets made.
Help us make the next One Piece!
**The role**
We're hiring a **Founding Product Engineer** to own the [app](https://www.mochi.tv/go) end to end. This role is one part product, one part design, one part builder:
* **Product:** You decide what we build next and own the results. You have strong user instincts, and you prove them in the metrics.
* **Design:** You have obsessive attention to detail. You care about layouts and cognitive load, because you know the small stuff matters.
* **Builder:** You have high agency. With AI, you build, test, and launch without waiting on anyone.
You don't need to be a deep engineer. You do need taste, work ethic, and bias to action.
You'll work directly with the founders. Robert (CEO) built the product himself and will work alongside you on product and design.
**Must-haves**
* You love anime
* You've shipped consumer apps to real users before, and you can show us
* You have real taste. You can name the apps you love and hate, and explain exactly why, down to a single screen or interaction
* You build fast with AI tools (Claude Code, Claude Design, Codex etc.), and you have enough technical judgment to debug and fix things when they break
**Nice-to-haves**
* You've worked on mobile, video, feed or social products
* You have design skills (Figma, motion, prototyping)
* Previous founder or early employee at a startup
**What it's like here**
We’re in-person at our spacious LA office in the heart of Arts District. We’re a close knit team that moves fast. Free meals provided, Crunchyroll + gym membership, pickleball outings, and occasional Smash tournaments. 401K + benefits included.
**Compensation**
$120K-$180K plus a 0.25%-0.75% equity grant.
[Mochi](https://www.mochi.tv/) is the future of anime.
We're the #1 app for AI anime, where fans make the stories. In just 2 months, we’ve grown to 20K+ creators publishing 2K+ series a month, with originals from Marvel, Toei, and Webtoon writers. To date we’ve crossed [300M views on socials](https://www.instagram.com/watchmochitv).
We’ve raised $4.5M from Y Combinator and angels like the founder of Crunchyroll. You'll join a strike team of lifelong anime fans reinventing how anime gets made.
Help us make the next One Piece!
**The role**
We're hiring a **Founding Product Engineer** to own the [app](https://www.mochi.tv/go) end to end. This role is one part product, one part design, one part builder:
* **Product:** You decide what we build next and own the results. You have strong user instincts, and you prove them in the metrics.
* **Design:** You have obsessive attention to detail. You care about layouts and cognitive load, because you know the small stuff matters.
* **Builder:** You have high agency. With AI, you build, test, and launch without waiting on anyone.
You don't need to be a deep engineer. You do need taste, work ethic, and bias to action.
You'll work directly with the founders. Robert (CEO) built the product himself and will work alongside you on product and design.
**Must-haves**
* You love anime
* You've shipped consumer apps to real users before, and you can show us
* You have real taste. You can name the apps you love and hate, and explain exactly why, down to a single screen or interaction
* You build fast with AI tools (Claude Code, Claude Design, Codex etc.), and you have enough technical judgment to debug and fix things when they break
**Nice-to-haves**
* You've worked on mobile, video, feed or social products
* You have design skills (Figma, motion, prototyping)
* Previous founder or early employee at a startup
**What it's like here**
We’re in-person at our spacious LA office in the heart of Arts District. We’re a close knit team that moves fast. Free meals provided, Crunchyroll + gym membership, pickleball outings, and occasional Smash tournaments. 401K + benefits included.
**Compensation**
$120K-$180K plus a 0.25%-0.75% equity grant.
Similar roles
- Staff Product Engineer Data AnalyticsAnalog Devices, Inc. · Milpitas, CA · Onsite
Product Engineer - Level 3Northrop Grumman · Cteh303, CT · Onsite- Senior Product Engineer, Full StackSentiLink · Remote · Remote
- Senior Product EngineerDocebo · Toronto, ON · Hybrid
- Senior Product Engineer, Discourse GraphsAstera Institute · Remote · Remote
- Senior Product Engineer - Listing QualityFaire · Kitchener Waterloo, ON · Hybrid
