xAI
Application Security Engineer (X Money)
At a Glance
About This Role
SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today, SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary and expanding consciousness to the stars.
SpaceXSI is building Super Intelligence to help humanity understand the universe. Our teams are building the full Super Intelligence stack: from our Colossus supercomputers, to Grok models, to our suite of applications, including Grok Bot, Grok Build, Grok Imagine, Grok Voice, and X. We're creating a powerful flywheel where more compute trains better models, better models power more useful products, and what we learn from people using those products shapes what we build next.
ABOUT THE ROLE:
We are seeking a skilled and innovative Application Security Engineer to join π Money. In this role, you will protect the security and integrity of our payments and financial products throughout the software development lifecycle, with a particular focus on code security, CI/CD pipelines, and systems that move and hold customer funds. Experience securing fintech, payments, digital wallet, ledger, or similar high-value platforms, where fraud, abuse, and unauthorized transfers are a constant concern, is strongly preferred.Β
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Conduct in-depth code reviews and static analysis to identify and mitigate security vulnerabilities in financial applications
- Design and implement secure coding guidelines and best practices for development teams
- Collaborate closely with development teams to integrate security practices throughout the CI/CD pipeline
- Perform threat modeling and risk assessments for payments, wallets, ledgers, and related product surfaces, and develop mitigation strategies for fraud, abuse, and unauthorized movement of funds or credits
- Manage vulnerability tracking and remediation efforts, providing guidance to development teams
- Manage the bug bounty program, including intake, triage, researcher communication, and coordinated disclosure
- Support incident response activities related to application security
- Stay current on emerging threats against financial and cloud-native systems, and continuously strengthen our controls
- Evaluate and secure software supply chains, including producing and maintaining Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs)
- Design and implement agentic and LLM-based solutions that help detect, investigate, or prevent security problems
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or a related field
- 3-5 years of experience in application security, with a strong focus on code security practices
- Experience in payments, money transmission, digital wallets, or related financial platforms
- Deep understanding of secure coding practices, application security frameworks, and common vulnerabilities (e.g., OWASP Top 10)
- Proficiency in Python or Rust and experience with secure coding practices in these languages
- Experience securing CI/CD pipelines and implementing DevSecOps practices
- Familiarity with software supply chain security and SBOM generation tools
- Experience with security testing tools (e.g., Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP) and static/dynamic code analysis
- Experience securing payments, wallets, ledgers, or other high-value transaction systems, including controls against fraud, abuse, and integrity issues
- Experience designing and implementing agentic and LLM-based solutions for security problems
- Excellent communication skills, able to explain complex security issues to both technical and non-technical audiences
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Hands-on experience securing applications on AWS; familiarity with other cloud platforms is a plus
- Relevant security certifications (e.g., BSCP, OSCP, OSWE)
- Experience managing bug bounty programs
- Background in data privacy and compliance relevant to financial products and cloud-native applications
- Experience with GitOps and infrastructure-as-code security
- Experience building custom security tooling to enhance and automate security processes
- Contributions to open-source security projects or tools
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
$100,000 - $258,000 USD
Base salary is just one part of our total rewards package at SpaceXSI, which also includes equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and various other discounts and perks.
ITAR REQUIREMENTS:
- To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. Β§ 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. Β§ 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITARΒ here.Β
SpaceXSI is an equal opportunity employer. For details on data processing, view ourΒ Recruitment Privacy Notice.
Source: xAI careers Β· View original posting
About xAI
Security at xAI
Compiled from public job postings, careers pages, and company materials. Data may not reflect current state β verify during interviews.
Security Philosophy
- Section 1 β Philosophy and priorities.
- Secure-by-default, developer-integrated approach β "integrate security design principles directly into the product development lifecycle" (LinkedIn job posting, Security Engineer, AppSec) [1].
- Developer collaboration rather than a purely gating model β "Collaborate closely with development teams to integrate security practices throughout the CI/CD pipeline" (LinkedIn job posting, Application Security Engineer) [2].
- Primary priorities include code security, cloud-native applications, CI/CD, software supply-chain security, SBOMs, and AI/ML security β "with a particular focus on code security, CI/CD pipelines, and emerging AI technologies" (LinkedIn job posting, Application Security Engineer) [3].
- AI-specific risk focus β "Address security concerns specific to AI and machine learning models, with a focus on the OWASP LLM Top 10" (LinkedIn job posting, Application Security Engineer) [3].
Security Team
Section 2 β People and structure. Org model β Public postings indicate a cross-functional AppSec function working directly with engineering teams across the software development lifecycle; whether the team is centralized or embedded is not publicly available [1][2]. Identified leader β Louis B.; LinkedIn title history lists "Head of Security Engineering" at xAI and "Member of Technical Staff, Security" (LinkedIn profile, accessed) [4]. LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-b-999a4711 Team size estimate β At least one dedicated Application Security Engineer opening was publicly listed; a reliable headcount cannot be established from the available results. Search query used: "xAI AppSec security engineering LinkedIn"; result range: 1-10 relevant results. Active AppSec job postings β One xAI Application Security Engineer posting was found on the xAI careers page; a separate LinkedIn posting was marked no longer accepting applications [5][3]. Common skill and tool patterns β Secure coding and OWASP Top 10; Python or Rust; code review and static analysis; CI/CD and DevSecOps; threat modeling; vulnerability tracking and remediation; SBOM and software-supply-chain security; Burp Suite; OWASP ZAP; and OWASP LLM Top 10 [2][3]. Additional AppSec-related role β A Security Engineer, AppSec role for Tapestry described code-to-cloud security automation covering GitHub and CI/CD pipelines, but it is associated with X, The Moonshot Factory rather than clearly with xAI [1]
Key Initiatives
Section 3 β Programs and workflows. Security Champions program Not found β No public Security Champions program, roster, or operating details identified. Shift-left in CI/CD CI/CD integration found β The role description calls for integrating security practices throughout the CI/CD pipeline and implementing DevSecOps practices [2]. Vulnerability management Intake sources β Public postings mention code review, static analysis, threat modeling, risk assessments, and security testing tools, but do not define formal intake channels [2][3]. Ticket ownership β Public postings state that the AppSec engineer manages vulnerability tracking and remediation efforts and guides development teams, but do not identify a ticketing system or formal ownership model [2]. Secure SDLC ceremonies Threat modeling and architectural review are publicly specified responsibilities; recurring ceremony names, approval checkpoints, and exception processes are not publicly available [2][1]. New programs or tool rollouts in the last 6 months The available public material identifies ongoing priorities around AI security, OWASP LLM Top 10, SBOMs, CI/CD, and cloud-native application security, but does not document a dated rollout
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