Full-Time
Applied AI Engineer
Generative AI
Posted on 2/27/2025
Kodiak Robotics
201-500 employees
Dual-use autonomous trucking tech for fleets.
Compensation Overview
$150k - $250k/yr
H1B Sponsorship Available
Mountain View, CA, USA
Hybrid
This position is hybrid, requiring some in-office presence in Mountain View, CA.
US Citizenship Required
 AI & Machine Learning (1) |
|---|
- BS, MS, or PhD in AI, Computer Science, or a related field, or at least 2-3 years of industry experience
- Experience with diffusion models, autoregressive learning, or generative AI methods
- Proficiency in Python and deep learning frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow
- Strong understanding of uncertainty modeling and self-supervised learning
- Passion for building AI that continuously adapts and learns.
- Develop generative models that enhance adaptability and improve AI robustness
- Research and implement diffusion-based, autoregressive, and variational techniques for real-world AI applications
- Apply generative methods to anticipate challenges and reinforce decision-making
- Build self-improving AI pipelines that continuously refine model understanding
- Optimize models for efficient, scalable, and interpretable AI decision-making
- Passion for building AI that continuously adapts and learns.
Kodiak Robotics builds and sells autonomous driving technology for trucks and other vehicle platforms. Its core product, the kodiakDriver, enables self-driving trucking for commercial fleets, aiming to increase capacity, efficiency, and vehicle utilization. The system uses autonomous software and hardware to operate vehicles without a human driver, and Kodiak also runs a Partner Deployment Program to help partners plan future driverless deployments. Unlike many pure-play commercial AV firms, Kodiak targets a dual-use market by serving both commercial fleets and military ground operations, generating revenue from autonomous-vehicle sales and from its deployment-support services. The company’s goal is to enable reliable driverless trucking for commercial logistics while advancing autonomous capability for national security and defense operations.
Company Size
201-500
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Mountain View, California
Founded
2018
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Roehl's Dallas-Houston lane gives Kodiak a live commercial template for scale.
- DriveOhio expands Kodiak beyond the Sun Belt into Midwest freight corridors.
- West Fraser opens logging and remote-road markets with strong driver-shortage economics.
What critics are saying
- A crash on Dallas-Houston would freeze adoption and trigger regulatory scrutiny.
- Kodiak's $100 million discounted raise signals dilution and financing pressure.
- Missing end-2026 driverless milestones weakens its service-model transition and partner credibility.
What makes Kodiak Robotics unique
- Kodiak Driver combines AI, modular hardware, and offboard services across vehicle platforms.
- Kodiak has 10 driverless trucks and 5,200 paid hours in service.
- General Dynamics Land Systems collaboration extends Kodiak's autonomy into defense vehicles.
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Your Connections
People at Kodiak Robotics who can refer or advise you
Benefits
Remote-friendly work environment
401k
Generous PTO policy
Life insurance
Medical, dental, vision, & FSA plans
Family-friendly company events
Dog-friendly office
Employee-driven fitness classes
Free EV charging
Trivia & board game nights
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 0%1 year growth
↑ 1%2 year growth
↑ 0%Kodiak and Roehl launch autonomous Dallas-Houston route. Roehl Transport partners with Kodiak Robotics on a commercial autonomous freight lane between Dallas and Houston. Kodiak targets driverless operations by end of 2026. Roehl Transport and Kodiak Robotics launched a commercial autonomous trucking route between Dallas and Houston, marking one of the first carrier-autonomous partnerships on a defined freight lane in Texas. Kodiak said it continues progressing toward driverless trucking operations by the end of 2026. Why did Roehl choose Kodiak for autonomous freight? Rick Roehl, CEO of Roehl Transport, said safety alignment drove the decision. "Roehl Transport is built on values, and safety is our cornerstone value," Roehl said. "The Kodiak Driver was built with this same philosophy. Kodiak's safety-first approach was a key factor in our decision to partner with Kodiak." Kodiak cited Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration statistics showing more than 85% of truck crashes in the U.S. involve human driver error. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimated 5,472 fatalities in crashes involving heavy-duty trucks in 2023. The Dallas-Houston corridor is a high-volume freight lane with consistent demand, making it a logical testbed for autonomous operations. Kodiak said its autonomous system is designed to address safety and efficiency challenges in long-haul trucking, industrial applications, and defense. What does driverless by end of 2026 actually mean? Kodiak's stated timeline - driverless operations by the end of 2026 - puts the company on an aggressive schedule. "Driverless" in this context means no human safety driver in the cab, a regulatory and technical milestone that requires FMCSA approval and state-level permitting. The Dallas-Houston route with Roehl is a commercial deployment, but Kodiak has not disclosed whether a safety driver remains in the truck during current operations. Most autonomous freight pilots in 2026 still run with a human operator on board, even when the system handles highway driving. For carriers, the operational question is not whether the technology works on a closed test track - it is whether autonomous trucks can handle the full lifecycle of a load: yard moves, dock appointments, weather, construction zones, and the unpredictable behavior of four-wheelers. Kodiak's partnership with a carrier like Roehl, which operates a large fleet and has decades of safety culture, suggests the company is moving beyond pilot-stage demonstrations. What this means for drivers and fleets. Autonomous freight is no longer a concept piece. Roehl's decision to partner with Kodiak on a defined lane signals that carriers are evaluating autonomous as a capacity tool, not a replacement for all driving jobs. The Dallas-Houston route is a long-haul, highway-heavy lane where autonomous systems perform best. Yard work, final-mile delivery, and urban driving remain human jobs. For owner-operators and small fleets, the near-term impact is limited. Autonomous deployments in 2026 are confined to a handful of lanes operated by large carriers with capital to invest in the technology. But the long-term trajectory is clear: carriers that can deploy autonomous trucks on high-volume lanes will have a cost advantage on those lanes. The question for drivers is not whether autonomous freight is coming - it is which lanes go first, and what work remains. Kodiak's end-of-2026 driverless target is ambitious. If the company hits it, the Dallas-Houston route will be the first place to watch.
Kodiak AI raised $100 million by selling shares at $6.50 each, well below its closing price of $9.10, causing its stock to tumble 37% in after-hours trading. The financing came from existing backer Ares Management and several institutional investors, and included warrants allowing future share purchases at $6. The self-driving lorry startup reported $1.8 million in revenue for the first quarter, but posted a $37.8 million operational loss, double the previous year's figure. Despite the steep discount, the company is pushing forward with commercialisation, announcing a partnership with Roehl Transport for autonomous freight haulage between Dallas and Houston. Kodiak plans to launch driverless operations on public highways later this year, transitioning from owning lorries to a driver-as-a-service model. The company went public in September 2024 via SPAC merger, valued at approximately $2.5 billion.
Counter-UAV: Epirus engages Colombia, also works with GDLS and Kodiak AI for Leonidas AGV. 11 April, 2026 Three major defense companies, Epirus, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), and Kodiak AI, have teamed up to develop a new autonomous vehicle for counter-uncrewed aerial vehicles (Counter-UAV) missions: the Leonidas Autonomous Ground Vehicle (AGV). The vehicle was unveiled at the recent AUSA Global Force Symposium & Exhibition expo in Alabama. Zona Militar spoke with Andrew Wargofchik, spokesperson for Epirus, about the Leonidas AGV and the company's projects in Latin America. Regarding Colombia, Wargofchik explained that Epirus is engaging the Colombian Ministry of Defense regarding the "potential of integrating" the company's high-power microwave (HPM) platform "into their counter-UAS shield." The company is confident that other Latin American militaries and security services will similarly be interested in Epirus's systems to combat drones operated by criminal gangs and narco-insurgents. The so-called narco-drones can transport explosives, drugs, or be utilized for surveillance missions. "The Leonidas high-power microwave platform is capable of supporting the Latin American counter-UAS initiatives" aimed at eliminating these threats. Wargofchik explained that the company's technology is "scalable and modular, and works by injecting high levels of microwave energy into a precise volume of space, coupling directly into the electronics of incoming threats. Latin American militaries are very interested in counter-UAV technologies. Case in point, the Colombian Ministry of Defense is seeking to develop a counter-UAV "national shield," while the Ecuadorian air force recently completed a training course on counter-UAV missions. As for the Leonidas AGV, the platform combines technologies from the three companies: GDLS provides the commercial-grade truck platform, Kodiak AI provides the autonomous driving system, and the payload is Epirus' Leonidas high-power microwave system, designed to counter UAV threats. A press release issued by the three companies describes the AGV as a "mobile counter-UAS capability that can be operated without human intervention or teleoperated to extend the counter-UAS line of defense across fixed-site and expeditionary mission sets." The Leonidas AGV can defeat single, swarm, or fiber-controlled drone attacks and is ideal for protecting a variety of locations, including military installations and forward operating bases. According to Epirus, integration of the systems and platforms of the three companies "took less than four months." As for the future of the Leonidas AGV, Wargofchik confirmed to Zona Militar that the three companies are "planning Leonidas AGV testing events in the coming months to further mature the system and demonstrate its counter-UAS and shoot-on-the-move capabilities," without providing specific details. The spokesperson did confirm that Epirus will be present at the upcoming Sea Air Space expo at the National Harbor in Maryland (near Washington, DC) to showcase its systems to the US Navy. Zona Militar also asked about the US military's response to the Leonidas AGV. To summarize, the response was "overwhelmingly positive" due to Leonidas AGV's mobility, autonomy, and commercial development timeline, which "directly answers the modernization calls of the Department of War and US Army." Wargofchik explained that the "Leonidas AGV is well-suited for a range of multi-service missions, including JIATF-401 homeland defense applications" as well as the defense of US Air Force assets and military installations. The company has continued to test and showcase Leonidas's capabilities through a variety of demonstrations and tests, including a December 2025 live-fire demonstration at an undisclosed US government testing site. The target was a fiber-optic guided UAV, which has become quite popular in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Also, last year, on 26 August, 2025, the company carried out another demonstration, this time against a swarm of UAVs. According to the company, Leonidas was tested against 61 drones across five operationally relevant flight scenarios. The result was very successful, as Leonidas managed to disable 61 of 61 drones and defeat a 49-drone swarm. Publicidad Sepa cómo ha sido su nivel de glucosa y cómo será de aquí en adelante.Dexcom G7 15 Day muestra cuándo su glucosa está subiendo o bajando, para que pueda tomar decisiones más fundamentadas. Haga clic para obtener la información de seguridad.Dexcom | Patrocinado Se ha demostrado que Dexcom G7 15 Day reduce la A1C y aumenta el periodo dentro del rango.[3−7]Dexcom G7 15 Day muestra cómo los alimentos, la actividad y los medicamentos afectan la glucosa en tiempo real para que pueda tener un futuro más saludable. Haga clic para obtener la información de seguridad.Dexcom | Patrocinado
Kodiak expands driverless trucking beyond Sun Belt to Ohio and Indiana. The DriveOhio partnership marks the company's first autonomous operations in the Midwest along I-70 corridor. · Tuesday, April 07, 2026 Kodiak AI has completed its first autonomous trucking program outside the Sun Belt, partnering with DriveOhio to test driverless technology on Interstate 70 - one of North America's busiest freight corridors. The program brought together the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to show how autonomous trucks can handle critical northern freight routes that underpin the U.S. supply chain. "Our work with DriveOhio marks an important step toward scaling autonomous trucking nationwide," said Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak. "This program highlights not only the maturity of our technology, but also its ability to operate safely and effectively beyond the Sun Belt, in new environments that are critical to the U.S. supply chain." The demonstration expands Kodiak's operational design domain beyond its Texas and southern highway testing into the Midwest. The company is now proving the Kodiak Driver can manage northern freight corridors essential to national logistics networks. Interstate 70 links major Midwest hubs and carries a significant share of cross-country freight volume, making it a key proving ground for broader adoption. Kodiak showcased its Level 4 autonomous trucking capabilities through real-world driving demonstrations at the Transportation Research Center in East Liberty, Ohio. The technical scenarios included navigating construction zones, merging onto highways, passing slower vehicles, yielding to disabled vehicles and responding to unexpected pedestrian crossings. The company also hosted a demonstration for first responders at the INDOT Traffic Management Center in Indianapolis. The program brought together transportation officials, policymakers and industry stakeholders from across Ohio and Indiana, giving them firsthand experience with the technology. Kodiak engaged participants on its safety case, commercial operations and best practices for integrating autonomous vehicles into existing freight networks. DriveOhio, Ohio's centralized hub for connected and autonomous vehicle testing, functions as the bridge between research and real-world application and positions the state to lead as transportation technologies evolve. Upcoming FreightWaves Events Fraud & Security Freight Fraud Symposium Double brokering. AI deepfakes. Identity theft. Freight fraud is an existential threat to the industry. Get ahead of it. May 20, 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - Cleveland, OH AI & Technology Supply Chain AI Symposium Past the hype. Join operators, founders, and enterprise leaders figuring out how to deploy AI in supply chain. July 15, 2026 The Old Post Office - Chicago, IL Rail & Policy Future of Rail Symposium Reshoring is rewriting freight demand. Join shippers, rail executives, and government officials to shape the next decade. July 28, 2026 The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo - Chattanooga, TN
Epirus, General Dynamics Land Systems and Kodiak AI have unveiled Leonidas Autonomous Ground Vehicle, a fully autonomous counter-drone system designed for critical point defence and homeland security missions. The mobile platform combines Epirus' high-power microwave technology with Kodiak's autonomous driving system, integrated by General Dynamics Land Systems. Leonidas AGV can operate without human intervention to defend military installations, airports, ports and energy infrastructure against individual drones or swarm attacks. The system uses electromagnetic interference to neutralise threats without expending interceptors, whilst autonomous navigation enables dynamic repositioning and continuous coverage. The vehicle can manoeuvre across structured highways and unstructured off-road environments. A full-scale prototype will be displayed at the AUSA Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama.