Role description
Hone builds AI that owns outcomes, not tasks: agentic systems that work towards goals over weeks and months, deploy themselves, and improve over time.
About Hone
Models keep getting smarter, but outside of coding most organizations can't absorb that intelligence, and the gap between model capability and the value derived from it keeps widening. The reasons are many, from human incentives to org design, but at the core we think it's a technology problem. Hone builds engines: AI systems that you hand a goal, like "keep the recruiting pipeline healthy." An engine builds itself, maintains its own agents and code, pulls in people when it needs judgment, and learns from every correction.
In October 2026, we announced a $60M seed round from Benchmark and Index Ventures.
Half our team are former founders: They’ve built companies, shipped products, and chosen Hone as the place to build next. The rest of us come from Cognition, Mercor, Ramp, Jane Street, Decagon, Brex and Harvey
Our customers are building with AI themselves: Cognition, Modal and Lucanet already use Hone, with customer perspectives featured on our website
Our founders have built from research to scale: They researched agents at Stanford, built the core of Devin at Cognition, led enterprise engineering at Mercor, built internal AI platforms, and founded companies that reached over one million users
We measure our work by economic impact: Engines are deployed across revenue, procurement, risk, product and operations, and we judge them by the results they create, not benchmark scores
Our values shape how we work: Own the Outcome, Set the Standard, Win with Class, and Commit to the Racing Line. Read more on our careers page
Read more: Bloomberg, Index Ventures’ investment thesis, and our launch announcement
The Role
Engines introduce a different way for companies to work with AI. You'll help people understand what that makes possible. You'll shape Hone’s voice and bring it to life through launches, writing, customer stories, videos and campaigns.
You'll work directly with the founders, engineers and customers, getting close enough to the product and the people using it to find stories worth telling. You'll own projects from the first idea through production and distribution, with the freedom to try unexpected formats and the judgment to make every detail feel like Hone.
What You'll Work On
Positioning and messaging: develop clear, distinctive language for what Engines do, who they help, and why their work matters
Launches and campaigns: find the central idea, shape the story, and bring writing, design, video and distribution together into a cohesive launch
Customer storytelling: build relationships with the people using Hone, understand what Engines make possible for them, and bring their experiences to life through writing, video and demos
Brand voice and editorial: shape how Hone communicates with a clear point of view and a consistent voice
Creative projects: develop demos, films, collaborations and experiences that make the product tangible and give people something worth sharing
Distribution and learning: help each piece find its audience, build relationships with relevant communities and publications, and use what resonates to inform what we make next
Requirements
You're an exceptional writer and editor, with work that makes complex ideas clear and holds people’s attention
You've taken campaigns or creative projects from idea to launch and can walk us through your decisions and contribution
Time at a fast-growing startup, or equivalent ownership building a brand, publication, audience or business
Strong creative judgment: you recognize a compelling story, develop original ideas, and know which details make the work better
You enjoy getting deep into a technical product, asking thoughtful questions, and finding language that makes it accessible without losing what matters
You're hands-on across formats: comfortable writing a landing page, talking with a customer, scripting a video and collaborating with a designer
You think about how work reaches people, with experience building distribution and learning from audience response
You use AI tools every day to research, explore ideas, prototype and produce, while bringing your own judgment to the final work
You make things outside your job because you care about writing, design, storytelling or culture
Nice to Have
You've helped introduce a new product category or develop the voice of a technical company
Experience producing video, conducting interviews, or working closely with designers and filmmakers
Relationships with journalists, creators or technical communities
You've built a publication, event series or creative project of your own
How We Hire
Intro with a co-founder
Portfolio and writing deep dive
Campaign and storytelling exercise
Two-day work trial in San Francisco
References
Offer
Logistics
Location: San Francisco, in person, Sunday to Friday
Compensation: Competitive salary + meaningful equity
Visa: We sponsor visas and support you through the immigration process
Benefits: Health and dental insurance, maternity and parental support, and relocation support