AI research engineer at Bending Spoons | Apply at Bending Spoons

About the role

About Bending Spoons

At Bending Spoons, we’re striving to build one of the all-time great companies. A company that serves a huge number of customers, where team members grow to their full potential, functions at unparalleled levels of effectiveness and efficiency, creates value for shareowners at an extraordinary rate, and adheres to high ethical standards.

We acquire and improve digital businesses for long-term ownership and operation. Our transformations are deep, designed to speed up innovation, benefit customers, and strengthen business performance. We operate with minimal hierarchy in small, talent-dense teams, combining the ambition and agility of a startup with the scale of established products. AI is deeply integrated into our operations, fostering a synergy between human judgment and machine intelligence.

For a talented, driven, and collaborative individual, Bending Spoons offers an opportunity to learn, make an impact, and progress their career at an exceptionally high rate.

Responsibilities

Build AI-powered product experiences: Partner with product teams to identify AI opportunities and build scalable systems to transform user experiences for millions.
Stay close to the frontier: Evaluate new AI models and techniques, learn quickly across domains, and translate promising advances into real product capabilities.
Strengthen data foundations: Own the data lifecycle (acquisition, validation, ingestion, management) and use AI-assisted labeling for high-quality datasets.
Own impact end-to-end: Set priorities, manage execution, and deliver robust systems in fast-moving environments, turning experimentation into results.

What we look for

Reasoning ability: Solve complex problems from first principles, structure ideas sharply, resist biases, and identify critical details.
Drive: Extreme ambition, initiative, effort, and tenacity. Deep sense of responsibility and a continuously rising personal standard.
Team spirit: Generosity without expectation of return, supporting the best idea over personal ideas, helping teammates, reliability, honesty, and transparency.
Proficiency in English: Fluent in reading, writing, and speaking English.

What we offer

Talented teams: Work in small, result-oriented, autonomous teams with bright individuals.
Growth opportunity: Exceptional potential for career advancement, with opportunities to lead significant projects.
Compensation: Competitive pay and access to equity. Salaries vary by location and impact, with potential for exceptional compensation. Offers permanent contracts with the option for equity participation and tax benefits in Italy.
Benefits: Flexible hours, remote working, unlimited learning and training support, top-tier health insurance, relocation assistance, generous parental support, and a yearly retreat.

Commitment & Contract

Permanent or fixed-term. Full-time or part-time.

Location

Milan (Italy), London (UK), Madrid (Spain), Warsaw (Poland) or remote in selected countries.

The selection process

We prioritize verifiable signals of excellence over seniority. If you believe you can excel, don't self-reject due to perceived lack of experience.

The process involves challenging tests that may require several hours and cover unfamiliar problems.

We maintain high standards and only extend offers to the right candidates, which may lead to roles remaining open for extended periods.

Reasonable accommodations are provided for individuals with disabilities.

Before you apply

If you've applied before without an offer, wait at least one year before reapplying.

Bending Spoons is a demanding environment requiring significant commitment for extraordinary learning and growth.

We recommend starting in our Milan office for the first few months to rapidly absorb company culture and build team trust, with relocation support provided. Post-onboarding, you can work from Milan, London, or approved remote locations.

If the role excites you, apply now!

Key skills/competency

AI Research
Machine Learning
Deep Learning
Python
Software Engineering
Data Science
System Design
Product Development
Problem Solving
Cloud Computing

How to get hired

Tailor your resume: Highlight AI research, machine learning projects, and quantifiable achievements relevant to Bending Spoons' product-driven approach.
Showcase problem-solving: Emphasize your reasoning ability, first-principles thinking, and experience tackling complex technical challenges.
Demonstrate drive and team spirit: Provide examples of your ambition, initiative, collaboration, and ability to support team goals.
Prepare for challenging tests: Expect rigorous technical assessments that evaluate deep understanding and problem-solving skills under pressure.

Frequently asked questions

What is the typical career progression for an AI Research Engineer at Bending Spoons?

Bending Spoons offers an exceptional opportunity for growth. Spooners in their 20s often lead products worth hundreds of millions of dollars. If you demonstrate exceptional capability and drive, you can quickly progress to essential roles in major projects, with compensation growing rapidly based on your contributions and experience.

How does Bending Spoons integrate AI into its work?

AI is deeply integrated into how we work at Bending Spoons. We leverage AI to build AI-powered product experiences, enhance data quality through AI-assisted labeling, and ensure human judgment and machine intelligence reinforce each other across all operations.

What kind of AI research and development can I expect as an AI Research Engineer?

As an AI Research Engineer, you'll be responsible for building AI-powered product experiences, identifying where AI can transform user experiences, and translating promising AI advances into real product capabilities. This involves staying close to the AI frontier, evaluating new models and techniques, and owning the end-to-end impact of your AI systems.

What is the selection process like for the AI Research Engineer role at Bending Spoons?

Our selection process prioritizes verifiable signals of excellence. After an initial screening, you'll likely complete challenging tests that may involve unfamiliar problems and take several hours. We set a high bar and only extend offers when confident in the right candidate.

Can I work remotely as an AI Research Engineer at Bending Spoons?

Yes, Bending Spoons offers remote working in selected countries. However, we recommend spending your first few months in our Milan office to rapidly absorb company culture and build trust with your team, with relocation support provided. Post-onboarding, remote work from approved countries is an option, depending on the offer stage.

What compensation and benefits can an AI Research Engineer expect?

Bending Spoons offers competitive pay and access to equity. Salaries vary by location and impact, with potential for exceptional compensation. Benefits include flexible hours, remote working, unlimited learning support, top-tier health insurance, relocation assistance, generous parental support, and a yearly retreat.

How important is English proficiency for the AI Research Engineer position?

Proficiency in English is essential. You will need to read, write, and speak English proficiently to effectively collaborate within our international teams, understand research papers, and communicate project details clearly.

What if I've applied to Bending Spoons before and didn't get an offer?

If you've applied before and weren't successful, we recommend waiting at least one year before applying again. This allows time for further development and ensures you have fresh perspectives and potentially new experiences to bring to your next application.

AI research engineer

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