About the role
Job Application for Rust/C++ Senior Software Engineer at Discord Back to jobs Rust/C++ Senior Software Engineer San Francisco Bay Area Apply Discord is used by over 200 million people every month for many different reasons, but there’s one thing that nearly everyone does on our platform: play video games. Over 90% of our users play games, spending a combined 1.5 billion hours playing thousands of unique titles on Discord each month. Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We are focused on making it easier and more fun for people to talk and hang out before, during, and after playing games. Discord is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to build high-performance, cross-platform client software that powers experiences for 200+ million users worldwide. You'll work on core libraries that run across Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS—writing native code using platform-specific APIs to provide optimal experiences wherever people use Discord. As a Senior Software Engineer on our A/V Client team, you'll tackle challenging performance problems, design systems that scale across diverse hardware configurations, and build the foundation that enables real-time experiences for millions of concurrent users. What you'll be doing: Build core libraries that power Discord's client experiences across desktop, browser, and mobile platforms (Rust, C++, and Typescript) Optimize performance end-to-end across all supported platforms Design and run experiments with proper success criteria and statistical rigor to validate improvements Debug complex issues across diverse hardware and platform configurations Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ship features that delight millions of users What you should have: 4+ years building large-scale, cross-platform software (Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, or game console development) Strong Rust or C++ skills with deep understanding of memory management, multi-threading, and low-level optimization Experience building performance-critical applications where milliseconds matter Bonus points: Experience designing experiments that prove (not just suggest) improvements Experience with real-time media applications (audio/video, game streaming, etc.) Hands-on experience with WebRTC, SDP, SRTP, or DTLS protocols Familiarity with audio/video codecs (Opus, H.264, AV1, etc.) and their corresponding quality measurements (POLQA, PSNR, VMAF, etc.) Proficiency with CPU, GPU, and memory profiling—you can identify bottlenecks, optimize critical paths, and manage resource constraints effectively You have built or contributed to open source projects Candidates must reside in or be willing to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties). For this role, the hiring manager would like folks to be in the office 1 day a week. Relocation assistance may be available. The US base salary range for this full-time position is $196,000 to $220,500 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity, or benefits. Why Discord? Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We're a multiplatform, multigenerational and multiplayer platform that helps people deepen their friendships around games and shared interests. We believe games give us a way to have fun with our favorite people, whether listening to music together or grinding in competitive matches for diamond rank. Join us in our mission! Your future is just a click away! Discord is committed to inclusion and providing reasonable accommodations during the interview process. We want you to feel set up for success, so if you are in need of reasonable accommodations, please let your recruiter know. Please see our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy for details regarding Discord’s collection and usage of personal information relating to the application and recruitment process by clicking HERE. Apply for this job * indicates a required field First Name * Last Name * Preferred First Name Email * Phone Country * Phone * Location (City) * Locate me Resume/CV * Attach Attach Dropbox Google Drive Enter manually Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf Cover Letter Attach Attach Dropbox Google Drive Enter manually Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf Are you currently based in or willing to relocate to the Bay Area for this position? * Select... Why do you want to work at Discord? * Walk us through the biggest technical challenge you faced when shipping the same feature across multiple platforms (iOS/Android/Desktop). How did you handle platform-specific constraints while maintaining a unified experience? * Are you proficient in developing high-performance code using C++ or Rust? * LinkedIn Profile * Website How did you hear about this job? Are you legally authorized to work in the United States for our Company? * Select... Are you currently located in the US? * Select... Demographic Questions for Discord We’d like to know a little more about you. Answering is completely voluntary, but we'll be forever grateful since the information will help us evaluate and improve our recruitment, diversity and belonging efforts. Whether or not you choose to answer the questions will not affect your job application with us. Any information you submit here will be kept secure, pseudonymized, confidential and completely separate from your personal data and job application. By answering this survey, you consent to our processing of your responses for the purposes listed above. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us. Self-identification categories: Gender Identity: A person's internal perception of their gender and how they label themselves (may or may not correspond to gender assigned at birth). Race/Ethnicity: A person’s racial or ethnic identity. Sexual Orientation: A person's sexual identity in relation to the gender to which they are attracted. Disability: A person who has a physical or mental impairment which substantially, or occasionally, limits one or more of their major life activities. Military Service: A person who has spent time serving in any branch of the military (may be retired or active). Gender Identity Select... Race and Ethnicity Select... Disability Status Select... I consider myself a member of the LGBTQ+ community Select... Military Veteran Status Select... Voluntary Self-Identification For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. As set forth in Discord’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law. Gender * Select... Are you Hispanic/Latino? * Select... Race & Ethnicity Definitions If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows: A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability. A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service. An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense. An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985. Veteran Status * Select... Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026 Why are you being asked to complete this form? We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years. Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at . How do you know if you have a disability? A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to: Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally) Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS Blind or low vision Cancer (past or present) Cardiovascular or heart disease Celiac disease Cerebral palsy Deaf or serious difficulty hearing Diabetes Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders Epilepsy or other seizure disorder Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome Intellectual or developmental disability Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD Missing limbs or partially missing limbs Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities Partial or complete paralysis (any cause) Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema Short stature (dwarfism) Traumatic brain injury Disability Status * Select... PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete. Submit application Powered by Greenhouse