Travel deserves its own model. Help us build it.
General AI models write a trip. MarcoPolo, our own travel model, plans one from places that exist.
None of the 701 stops general AI models wrote in our benchmark carried a bookable ID. MarcoPolo invented none of its 115 stops, 114 carry a bookable ID, and it finished a trip in a median 14.7 seconds, up to 4.6 times faster than the general models.
Five countries are on the map today. The goal is a model that plans any trip, anywhere, from places that exist and can be booked, and the trips our brands plan will teach the model that plans the next ones. It is a big goal for a small team in Austin, Texas, so each person here carries a real share of it.
We want people who are motivated, good at their job and proud of what they achieve, who like a hard problem and a straight answer, and who also have a life outside work.
Every trip we plan is a route through places that exist.
How we work together
A small team works when people are straight with each other and courteous about it.
Fair comments
Tell the person, tell them soon and be specific about the work. Praise goes in public. Criticism stays between you and the person it is for. Taking feedback well matters as much as giving it well.
Straight ambition
If you want the bigger job, say so. We will tell you honestly what it takes and how far along you are. Responsibility, pay and credit follow results, and nobody has to pretend to be modest.
Pride in the finish
We would rather ship fewer things that are right. When something works, we say who did it. When it does not, we ask how it happened and not who to blame.
Respect as a habit
We disagree about the work and never about the person. That goes for customers, suppliers and each other, in meetings and in writing.
What we ask and what you can expect
We expect a lot and we give people room to do it well. Here is the deal in both directions, including the parts that are not for everyone.
We ask
That you do what you said you would, tell us early when something will slip, say what you think in the room and not afterwards, and keep getting better at the job.
You can expect
Real responsibility early, specific feedback soon after the work, credit when it is earned, and a straight answer when you ask where you stand.
- In a heavy week
- Launches and customer deadlines happen. We say so up front, keep the push short and give the time back afterwards. Outside those weeks nobody is expected to answer messages at night, unless something customers rely on is down.
Who it may not suit
If you want a long process around every decision, a big team to share the load, or feedback that always comes wrapped in padding, you may be happier elsewhere. We would rather you knew that now.
Where we are looking
We do not post fixed openings. We add people where the work is, so tell us which of these is yours.
Training and testing MarcoPolo, and keeping the catalogue of real places it plans from accurate. We publish our benchmark with its caveats, including where the general models do better, so you will be asked to find out why and fix it.
How we hire
The same four steps for everyone, whatever the role. Fair hiring is one of the five commitments we hold ourselves to.
- Step 1
Write to us
Tell us what you have built or sold and why it fits. A link to the work is worth more than a CV.
- Step 2
Talk with a founder
A conversation about the work and about us. You ask as much as we do, including the awkward questions.
- Step 3
Do a piece of real work
A task close to the role, the same one for every candidate for that role, with feedback whatever the outcome.
- Step 4
Get a decision
We tell you the outcome either way, with the reason.