DGC, Product & Commercial

We're looking for an attorney to own two functions as the second lawyer on the team: product and commercial.

• Product: You'll work directly with engineering and research, develop deep knowledge of our technical stack, and shape proactive legal strategy for products that don't fit neatly into existing frameworks. 
• Commercial: You'll own commercial agreements end-to-end—partnerships, licensing, vendor management—and work with business leadership on go-to-market strategy, IP ownership, and deal structure.

This is a ground-floor role with significant ownership. You'll help build the legal function, ensuring it’s a competitive advantage for Thinking Machines and not a bottleneck.

• Advise company leadership as well as product, engineering, and research teams on the legal aspects of developing and deploying AI products.
• Proactively identify and address potential legal roadblocks in product development, with a broad view of policy and risk.
• Lead high-profile, high-impact transactions involving AI technology, including complex licensing, joint development agreements, and strategic partnerships that advance the company’s mission and business objectives.
• Structure, draft, and negotiate the whole spectrum of commercial agreements, from enterprise customer contracts to vendor relationships. 
• Have a strong say in how our Legal team is developed from the ground up.

Minimum qualifications:

• 10+ years of legal experience, with significant product counseling and commercial negotiation experience.
• Client counseling skills, with the ability to exercise judgment under uncertainty and communicate practical, solution-focused advice.
• Experience working directly with technical staff, not just intermediaries.

Preferred qualifications — we encourage you to apply if you meet some but not all of these:

• In-house experience at a technology company shipping products with novel legal risk.
• Experience working on AI-powered products or AI transactions, including complex licensing, joint development, and strategic partnerships.
• Familiarity with global data privacy, intellectual property, and regulatory issues specific to the AI domain.
• Significant experience leading complex commercial negotiations for enterprise sales at scale.

• Location: This role is based in San Francisco, California.
• Compensation: Depending on background, skills and experience, the expected annual salary range for this position is $325,000 - $425,000 USD.
• Visa sponsorship: We sponsor visas. While we can't guarantee success for every candidate or role, if you're the right fit, we're committed to working through the visa process together.
• Benefits: Thinking Machines offers generous health, dental, and vision benefits, unlimited PTO, paid parental leave, and relocation support as needed.