About the role
We are an applied AI lab building end-to-end software agents. We're the makers of Devin, the first AI software engineer, and Windsurf, the AI-native IDE. Together, they represent our vision for collaborative AI teammates that enable engineers to focus on more interesting problems and empower teams to strive for more ambitious goals. Our team is small and talent-dense. Among our founding team, we have world-class competitive programmers, former founders, and leaders from companies at the cutting edge of AI including Scale AI, Palantir, Cursor, Waymo, Tesla, Lunchclub, Modal, Google DeepMind, and Nuro. Building Devin is just the first step—our hardest challenges still lie ahead. If you’re excited to solve some of the world’s biggest problems and build AI that can reason on real-world tasks, apply to join us.
About
the Role We are seeking an AI Policy Lead to help shape Cognition's engagement with policymakers, regulators, and government stakeholders as AI becomes increasingly important to economic competitiveness, national security, and public sector modernization. You will serve as a bridge between technical innovation and public policy, helping policymakers understand the opportunities and implications of advanced AI systems while ensuring Cognition remains informed on evolving regulatory, legislative, and geopolitical developments. This role sits at the intersection of technology, government, and strategy. You will work closely with company leadership, product teams, legal counsel, and external stakeholders to support responsible AI deployment and advance policies that promote innovation, security, and economic growth. Core
Responsibilities Monitor and analyze emerging AI policy, regulatory, and legislative developments across the United States and key international markets Develop policy positions, briefing materials, white papers, and executive-level recommendations on issues related to artificial intelligence, national security, technology competitiveness, workforce transformation, and digital infrastructure Build and maintain relationships with policymakers, government agencies, think tanks, industry associations, and academic institutions Support executive engagement with Congress, the Executive Branch, regulators, and international government stakeholders Represent Cognition in policy discussions, industry working groups, conferences, and strategic forums Partner with technical teams to translate complex AI capabilities into clear, actionable policy narratives Identify opportunities for public-private partnerships that accelerate AI adoption across government and critical industries Help anticipate policy risks and opportunities that could impact company strategy, product development, or market expansion What We Value Intellectual curiosity and a genuine interest in understanding frontier AI systems Strong judgment and the ability to navigate complex policy environments Clear communication across technical, business, and government audiences Relationship-building and long-term trust with stakeholders Pragmatism and a focus on outcomes rather than ideology Ownership mentality and willingness to operate independently Ability to balance innovation, competitiveness, and responsible governance
