Embedded Platform Lead, Orb Software

About the Company:

Worldcoin is an open-source protocol, supported by a global community of developers, individuals, economists and technologists committed to expanding participation in, and access to, the global economy. Its community is united around core beliefs in the inherent worth and equality of every individual, the right to personal privacy, and open and public collaboration. These beliefs are reflected in what the community is building: a public utility to connect everyone to the global economy.

The Worldcoin Foundation is the protocol’s steward and will support and grow the Worldcoin community until it becomes self-sufficient. Tools for Humanity is a global hardware and software development company. It helped launch Worldcoin and continues to provide support to the Foundation, in addition to operating the World App.

This opportunity would be with Tools for Humanity.

About the Orb

Worldcoin’s launch requires a “Proof-of-Personhood”: a way to determine someone is human (not a bot) and hasn’t already claimed their free share of Worldcoin. This is why we developed the Orb.

The Orb is an advanced biometric imaging device, custom-designed for Worldcoin’s launch. Orbs are deployed to a global network of operators, who use the device to onboard new Worldcoin users. During this onboarding, the Orb generates an encoding of each user’s iris and submits it to Worldcoin’s backend. For more details on how the Orb is part of Worldcoin’s privacy-preserving approach to Proof-of-Personhood, see the Worldcoin whitepaper.

The Orb solves a fierce combination of engineering and UX challenges, centered around image quality, security, and ease-of-use. Each device has an advanced iris imaging system, designed to work consistently across real-world lighting conditions. An additional suite of sensors feeds into an onboard fraud detection system, enabling use in unsecured environments. These systems are combined in a sleek industrial design with a simple, minimalist user interface.

About the Team

The Orb Software team is a small group of industry experts, software generalists, and passionate hackers - collectively driven by Worldcoin’s ambitious mission. We’re responsible for all software running on the Orb, plus software for manufacturing, automated testing, and fleet management. The multidisciplinary nature of the project requires us to work closely with Security, Hardware, and AI & Biometrics teams.

Our team embraces the challenges involved in bringing the Orb to life. In this pursuit, we value first principles thinking, pragmatism over perfection, and the sanctity of deep work. We empower each other to own large projects end-to-end, and strive for excellence as a team.

About the Opportunity

The Platform subteam of the Orb Software team is focused on:

• The Orb’s custom Linux-based operating system
• Over-the-air (OTA) updates for the Orb fleet
• Building and integrating the Orb’s firmware images

As the Embedded Platform Lead, you can expect to:

• Manage projects within the Platform team
• Review, implement, and test technical contributions
• Collaborate with the Orb Software lead on recruiting, external engagements (e.g. security audits), and long-term planning.

About You

We strongly encourage you to apply for this position if you are motivated by Worldcoin’s mission, have exceptional software engineering abilities, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.

We’re especially interested in applicants with:

• Strong background in software engineering, especially operating systems and systems programming
• 5+ years of experience working with GNU/Linux, especially on embedded devices
• Excellent technical communication and leadership skills
• Proven track-record of deploying security-critical systems
• Ability to rapidly deliver solutions while ruthlessly minimizing system complexity

Bonus:

• Rust proficiency
• Familiarity with OTA update systems
• Microcontroller development experience, especially with Zephyr OS