Complete the Gauntlet AI FellowshipEarn a $200K+ job
as an AI engineer.
Only 2% qualify, but even fewer finish. Are you ready?
Next cohort
26D : 15H : 30M : 23S
Cohort begins Sep 28
Hiring partners
What is Gauntlet AI
Gauntlet AI is a ten-week, all‑expenses‑paid immersive program for the most talented engineers in the world.
- Gauntlet AI covers your housing, flights, food, laundry, and compute so nothing gets in the way of becoming a great AI engineer.
- We help you land an AI engineering role with one of our hiring partners. Roles start around $200K, and more experienced engineers can earn much more.
- The program is completely free for you. Forever.
How Gauntlet AI started
After many years of training software engineers, we began working with a few companies to train their engineering teams to use the cutting edge of AI. We were all completely blown away by what we saw.
We together realized that AI is the greatest force multiplier in human history.
As we saw what the smartest people enabled by AI are capable of, the companies behind Gauntlet immediately dedicated hundreds of millions of dollars to find the smartest, hardest-working people, and train them to become the world’s best AI-first builders (and voracious learners, as is required to do so).
Modeled after one of the companies’ previous success in training—Trilogy University—Gauntlet blends unmatched intensity with real-world challenges and rapid learning.
This intensive 10-week program is designed to develop the next generation of AI-enabled technical leaders, preparing graduates for the $200K/year roles with the participating companies.
Why it’s free
Companies pay
Hiring partners pay up front to hire from each cohort.
It funds the program
That covers your training, housing, travel, and compute.
You pay nothing
So it’s free for you.
Who finishes the Gauntlet
- High agency — you drive, nobody carries you.
- Willing to work 80–100 hours a week for 10 weeks.
- A cognitive baseline in the top 2% (CCAT 40+).
- Willing to win at all costs.
The Gauntlet experience
The Gauntlet is, by design, extremely intensive.
It is not for everyone.
It is structured at a level of difficulty that will require the smartest people on the planet to give everything they’ve got, and to learn at an accelerated pace.
We hope it will be the hardest you’ve ever worked.
We hope it will be the fastest you’ve ever learned.
We hope you’ll build more than you previously thought possible.
And we think it will be worth it.
Program roadmap
3 weeks remote, 7 weeks in Austin, Texas.
Travel & expenses covered for those who make it to Austin.
80–100 hours/week.
Next start date: Sep 28 →
Anyone who successfully completes the Gauntlet is offered a $200k/yr role as an AI Engineer in Austin, Texas
* Only the elite will survive…
Life in the program
Phase 1: Remote
Prove you have what it takes to come to Austin, TX.
Learn key AI skills like RAG, building Agents, and AI-first development to launch real products.
Week 1 AI-First Development Master modern AI tools and rebuild enterprise applications
Overview:
Learn Cursor, v0, Lovable, Replit, and Windsurf. Start building your ai-first coding framework. Test this framework by cloning complex enterprise apps AND then add AI features to make it better.
AI-First Development Tools:
Master Cursor, v0, Lovable, Replit, and Windsurf for efficient AI-powered development
Enterprise App Cloning:
Build complex enterprise-grade applications using AI-first development principles
AI Feature Enhancement:
Enhance cloned applications with advanced AI capabilities and features
Phase 2: On-site
Welcome to Austin, TX. All lodging, food, transportation, and office, will be covered if you make it. We take it up a notch in Austin, TX.
Week 4 LangGraph & Open-Source Contribution Build complex AI workflows with LangGraph
Overview:
Launch your own open source project or make significant contributions to existing ones. Master LangGraph for complex AI workflows while learning product sense and feature prioritization for real users.
LangGraph Development:
Build sophisticated AI workflows with LangGraph, coordinating multiple AI components into robust systems
Product Development:
Master product sense for AI engineers - learn how to prioritize features and build what users actually need
OSS Contribution:
Make significant contributions to large open source projects or launch your own impactful OSS project
AI Observability:
Implement sophisticated observability systems and learn to train your system backward through result annotation
Phase 3: Final Review & Demo Day
The ultimate test of your abilities. Defend your portfolio, launch real products, and prepare to showcase your work to industry leaders.
Week 7 Final Review Preparation Defend and refine your portfolio
Overview:
Prepare to defend six of your most impressive projects. Deep dive into benchmarking, LLM infrastructure, and the fundamentals of building your first LLM while refining your existing projects.
Portfolio Refinement:
Polish and enhance six of your previous projects, ensuring they demonstrate technical excellence and real-world impact
LLM Infrastructure:
Master the fundamentals of LLM infrastructure and learn how to build your first language model
Benchmarking:
Learn advanced techniques for measuring and optimizing AI system performance
Defense Preparation:
Prepare comprehensive technical defenses for each project in your portfolio
Apply to the Fellowship.
Apply now3+ years software engineering · US work authorization · 7 weeks in Austin