Summer 2026
Software Engineer Intern
Instead
AI-driven tax management and analysis platform
No salary listed
San Francisco, CA, USA
In Person
 Software Engineering (2) |
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- Currently pursuing or recently completed a degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field
- Strong programming fundamentals. You can write clean code, debug efficiently, and think about edge cases
- Familiarity with web development (frontend or backend). Experience with any modern framework counts
- Curiosity about AI and willingness to learn. Experience with AI coding tools (Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot) is a plus
- High attention to detail and a bias for shipping
- Ability to work on-site in San Francisco
- Ship product features end to end on our live customer platform alongside senior engineers
- Build and test AI-powered components including inference pipelines and prompt engineering
- Fix bugs and make product improvements based on real customer feedback
- Create internal tools that make the engineering team more productive
- Learn our full stack and contribute across frontend, backend, and AI layers
- Participate in code reviews, architecture discussions, and product planning
- You've built and shipped side projects or open-source contributions that demonstrate your ability to go from idea to working product
- You already use AI tools in your coding workflow and understand how they change the way software gets built
- You learn fast and don't wait to be told what to do. When you see something broken, you fix it
- You care about the end user, not just the code. You want to understand why something matters before you build it
- You're excited about working at a startup where your work ships to real customers on day one
Instead provides an AI-powered tax management platform for individuals, sole proprietors, businesses, and accounting firms through Instead Pro. The platform analyzes tax returns with AI, identifies missed opportunities, and automates more than 90% of tax preparation, including expense imports, document generation with e-signatures, and a dynamic reporting suite (Tax Return Analysis Report, Tax Plan Report, and Individual Strategy Reports with IRS references). It supports IRS/state-approved e-filing for various return types and lets users collaborate with their own tax professionals or connect with expert firms via a directory. The goal is to turn tax work into proactive financial planning by delivering automated analysis and planning that helps users save taxes and manage finances more strategically.
Company Size
N/A
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Dallas, Texas
Founded
2012
Get referred to Instead
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- IRIS and Skylark invested, giving Instead distribution leverage and credibility with accounting buyers.
- Instead launched AI Agents in April 2026, broadening automation from analysis into execution.
- Hiring across San Francisco, India, and tax roles signals rapid product and go-to-market expansion.
What critics are saying
- Legacy vendors can bundle tax with accounting suites, locking firms into entrenched workflows through 2027.
- Still tiny at $5 million raised; scaling enterprise support, compliance, and sales demands capital.
- Any filing error or approval rollback would damage trust and threaten IRS-approved market access.
What makes Instead unique
- Instead passed 100% U.S. government testing in May 2026 across federal, state, local jurisdictions.
- Andrew Argue built an AI-native platform spanning research, planning, preparation, filing, and resolution.
- Instead targets complete replacement of CCH, UltraTax CS, Lacerte, Drake, and GoSystem.
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Benefits
401(k) with employer match
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Flexible Work Hours
Health Insurance
Parental Leave
Remote Work Options
Stock Options
Wellness Program
Mental Health Support
Conference Attendance Budget
Professional Development Budget
Family Planning Benefits
Fertility Treatment Support
Phone/Internet Stipend
Home Office Stipend
Hybrid Work Options
Company News
Instead, an AI-powered tax platform, has become the first new system in decades to pass 100% government testing across all US federal, state and local jurisdictions. The company received approval to electronically file and print returns for individuals, trusts, corporations, S corporations and partnerships. Founded by CEO Andrew Argue, a CPA, Instead automates tax research, planning, preparation, filing and resolution in a single platform. The company claims it can reduce complex return preparation from four to six hours to under 60 minutes, automating 60-80% of staff time. The milestone enables accounting firms to replace legacy platforms like CCH Axcess Tax, UltraTax CS, Lacerte and Drake, which collectively hold over 90% of the firm market. Instead now offers direct e-file transmission to the IRS and every state.
Corvee, a tax planning platform for accounting firms, is joining the Instead brand. Existing customers can continue accessing their accounts, data and tools at instead.com/corvee. The transition comes as Instead nears completion of government approvals across all US federal and state tax jurisdictions for tax year 2025, a milestone not achieved by a new tax platform in nearly 30 years. Instead is already IRS-approved to e-file Forms 1040, 1041, 1120, 1120S and 1065, covering virtually every US taxpayer. The AI-native platform offers a unified system spanning tax planning, research, estimated payments, filing and resolution. Instead CEO Andrew Argue said the platform was designed to replace the full tax technology stack, automating preparation so firms can focus on planning and advisory. Corvee clients retain full access to their current services.
Instead, an AI-powered tax platform for accounting firms, has secured a strategic investment from Skylark Partners, the family office created by 8am's founders. The San Francisco-based company is the first new platform in decades to receive IRS approval for e-filing individual and business tax returns across major entity types. Instead has achieved nearly 100% government approval for tax year 2025 filings and expects complete nationwide coverage within weeks. Its AI agent automates over 90% of tax preparation, reducing completion time from hours to minutes. The company has signed many of the nation's top 100 accounting firms and positions itself as a replacement for legacy platforms including CCH, UltraTax and Lacerte. CEO Andrew Argue cited AI as a driving force for change in tax technology that "hasn't changed in thirty years".
Instead, an AI-powered tax platform, has secured 67% of required government approvals for electronic and print tax filing across federal, state and municipal jurisdictions in the US. The company expects complete nationwide coverage within weeks, with over 85% of applications already submitted. The San Francisco-based startup has built what it describes as the first autonomous AI tax agent capable of end-to-end preparation and filing across major entity types, including Forms 1040, 1041, 1120, 1120-S and 1065. Its "zero-touch tax return" system handles document intake, data extraction, work paper creation and return population with minimal human oversight. Instead is recruiting beta firms for product rollout later this year, targeting users of legacy platforms like CCH, GoSystem and Lacerte in the $15 billion tax preparation industry.
IRIS Software Group has made a minority investment in Instead, an AI-powered tax platform. This investment aims to help accountants automate tax preparation and focus on strategic advisory, enhancing IRIS's commitment to transforming accountancy through automation. The partnership will enable Instead to accelerate product development and expand sales and marketing. Jim Dunham of IRIS Americas highlights this as a significant innovation in tax management since 1993.