Founding Engineer

Company Description

We're building 
episode-0
 — an episode-first, character-driven experience where users don't "chat with an AI," they 
step into a moment
.

Episode-0 is designed around 
high-stakes scenes
: romantic tension, implication, and choice-heavy moments that feel lived-in. We're not optimizing for productivity. We're optimizing for 
gravity
 — the kind of interaction that makes someone pause, reread, and come back.

What we're building isn't "a chatbot with characters." It's a 
scenario engine
:

• Episodes are the entry point.
• Scenes carry tension and progression.
• Characters are containers for continuity.
• The platform makes it easy to ship new moments and new arcs fast.

We're looking for a Founding Engineer who wants to build this with obsessive taste and a builder's mindset.

Snapshot

• Stage:
   MVP shipping; solo founder, building the first core team (Remote OK)
• Product:
   episode-first character experiences (Episode 0 scenarios → sessions), replayable, progression-ready
• Stack (current direction):
    (Vercel), FastAPI (Render), Supabase (Auth/RLS), Tailwind, shadcn/ui, LLM orchestration, image/scene generation pipeline (as needed)
• Traction:
   MVP live / near-live; iterating toward early users + retention loops

What we believe (and what you'll help ship)

Episode-0's core thesis:

People don't want more tools. They want moments
.

We're building around a few differentiation pillars:

• Episode-first UX (not chat-first):
   Users enter a 
  situation
  , not a blank prompt. Every interaction starts with context, stakes, and implication.
• High-quality narrative ignition:
   The first 10 seconds matter. We obsess over "cold open clarity," tension, and reply gravity.
• Continuity without spreadsheets:
   Memory/relationship progression should be 
  felt
  , not shown as meters.
• Fast content shipping:
   We need a platform where new episodes/characters/worlds can be produced quickly without brittle pipelines.
• Visual + narrative coherence:
   When we show avatars/backgrounds/scene cards, they must feel like the same moment as the writing.

You'll own (ideally full-stack)

Depending on your strengths, you'll take real ownership over the core system:

• Core experience engine
  Episode templates → session runtime
• Choice/branch handling, state progression, and "moment pacing"
• Prompting + orchestration that reliably creates 
  tight, on-tone
   scenes
• Content + tooling pipeline
  Episode/scene authoring workflows (internal tools)
• Versioning + iteration systems for quality control
• A/B testing hooks to learn what creates retention + "gravity"
• Platform infrastructure
  API contracts + backend reliability
• Performance/cost control for inference
• Observability and debug tooling for weird narrative failures
• (Optional) Visual generation layer
  Scene cards / background / avatar generation pipeline
• Rules so visuals support narrative instead of becoming random "AI art"

What makes this interesting

• Build a 
  new kind of consumer AI product
   that isn't just "prompt-and-response."
• You'll shape the 
  core engine
  , not just implement tickets.
• High creative + technical leverage: small changes can massively impact retention.

Compensation & time

• Equity-only (temporary)
   — exploratory co-builder search.
• Open to 
  part-time nights/weekends
   with a path to full-time when funded or revenue-supported.
• Title flexible: Founding Engineer / Full-stack / Core Platform / Narrative Systems Engineer.
• Not a paid opportunity today; paid roles follow funding or revenue.

Who you might be

• You've shipped consumer products and care about feel, pacing, and UX.
• You can operate in ambiguity and still make fast, clean decisions.
• You care about taste: writing quality, product coherence, and "does this land?"
• You're excited by the idea that 
  moments are a product primitive
  .

How to raise your hand

• Email: 
  -0.com
   
  (or your preferred inbox)
• Include: a short intro, what you've shipped, and what you'd want to own in episode-0.

Transparency note

• This is an 
  exploratory, equity-only
   search intended to meet potential co-builders. If you're serious about building something weird and emotionally sticky, let's talk.