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Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI is hiring for one of the most eyebrow-raising job titles in tech: Fullstack Engineer – Waifus. The role, which pays up to $440,000, is aimed at building Grok’s new real-time avatar companions.
The job post dropped just after xAI quietly released Grok’s companion feature on iOS. Grok’s real-time avatar companions currently include Ani, a flirtatious anime female in a lace choker, and Rudi, a red panda with an unhinged alter ego named Bad Rudi.
And while xAI’s job title may be tongue-in-cheek, the mission is anything but casual. xAI is looking for “exceptional multimedia engineers and product thinkers” to make these avatars fast, scalable, and reliable enough to handle real-time interactions.
Where quantum physics meets anime tropes
Grok’s companion feature blends conversational AI with highly animated personas — ones that can teach quantum mechanics and talk in NSFW language, depending on user engagement. Ani, for example, is designed to be flirty and suggestive. Bad Rudi doesn’t bother with charm — he hurls insults and expletives, assuming you unlock his meaner side.
In Musk’s X post to promote Grok’s companion feature, he called it “the best possible way to learn quantum mechanics” and added a face blowing a kiss emoji.
Grok’s character roster is just getting going (a male anime companion will be the third persona), so hold on to your hats.
The job listing is framed as part of xAI’s broader vision “to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in the pursuit of knowledge.” Currently, that apparently includes crafting seductive digital waifus and vulgar cartoon pandas.
AI ethics in the uncanny valley
xAI’s decision to humanize and sexualize its AI companions isn’t just raising eyebrows, it’s becoming part of discussions about how AI is designed to interact with users emotionally – which reportedly can help users feel better, or sometimes lead to real-world harm and tragic consequences. The AI space is already grappling with deepfakes, misinformation, and algorithmic bias, so adding romanticized anime personas to the mix introduces new layers of complexity.
And the timing hasn’t helped. Earlier this month, Grok generated antisemitic responses, prompting an apology from xAI and a claim that deprecated code had made the chatbot vulnerable to user prompts containing extremist content.
Even with those concerns, xAI’s investment in this companion model is backed by billions of dollars. Reports suggest SpaceX is investing $2 billion into xAI, and Grok’s integrations with some Teslas’ in-car systems launched over the weekend.
AI payday
Whether you see this engineering role to build characters that some users may fall in love with as an expensive joke, a glimpse of where AI is heading, or both, this xAI waifu job (yes, there’s another one – for Mobile Android Engineer) appears to be real, and it pays handsomely.