About the role
Since launching, Onlook hit #1 on Hacker News, was the #1 trending repo on GitHub – above DeepSeek + Anthropic – and has earned over 22,000 GitHub stars. We’re looking to bring on Onlook’s first Founding Engineer. You’re a full-stack engineer who is ready to build a generational design-led company.
This role requires autonomy - you’ll be setting standards for one of the fastest-growing open source projects backed by YC ever. You’ll help design and build an uncompromising visual IDE loved by tens of thousands of designers and engineers around the world.
Why Onlook exists
Software creation is still broken at its core. Design and engineering operate in parallel, constrained by single-player tools that limit exploration and collaboration.
Onlook changes that. We’re building creative agents that help teams rapidly explore design space on top of real, production-grade components. Designers can explore and iterate freely. Engineers can participate creatively without sacrificing control. AI expands what’s possible and how fast you can craft. Open source keeps it transparent and flexible, respecting the need for remixability with code.
What makes Onlook different is that it’s multiplayer by default. Instead of isolated IDEs and static design files, we’re creating a shared creative space where ambitious teams explore, iterate, and build together on top of their existing brand systems and code primitives.
We aim to be the most loved design and developer tool in the world by empowering teams – not automating them away. In close partnership with leading product teams, we’re building an entirely new way to design together.
The most important things we look for:
- Olympic-level dedication – you want to be the best in the world at what you do.
