Associate General Counsel (Product and Research) (California)

Company Overview

Deepgram is the leading platform underpinning the emerging trillion-dollar Voice AI economy, providing real-time APIs for speech-to-text (STT), text-to-speech (TTS), and building production-grade voice agents at scale. More than 200,000 developers and 1,300+ organizations build voice offerings that are ‘Powered by Deepgram’, including Twilio, Cloudflare, Sierra, Decagon, Vapi, Daily, Cresta, Granola, and Jack in the Box. Deepgram’s voice-native foundation models are accessed through cloud APIs or as self-hosted and on-premises software, with unmatched accuracy, low latency, and cost efficiency. Backed by a recent Series C led by leading global investors and strategic partners, Deepgram has processed over 50,000 years of audio and transcribed more than 1 trillion words. There is no organization in the world that understands voice better than Deepgram.

Company Operating Rhythm

At Deepgram, we expect an AI-first mindset—AI use and comfort aren’t optional, they’re core to how we operate, innovate, and measure performance.

Every team member who works at Deepgram is expected to actively use and experiment with advanced AI tools, and even build your own into your everyday work. We measure how effectively AI is applied to deliver results, and consistent, creative use of the latest AI capabilities is key to success here. Candidates should be comfortable adopting new models and modes quickly, integrating AI into their workflows, and continuously pushing the boundaries of what these technologies can do.

Additionally, we move at the pace of AI. Change is rapid, and you can expect your day-to-day work to evolve just as quickly. This may not be the right role if you’re not excited to experiment, adapt, think on your feet, and learn constantly, or if you’re seeking something highly prescriptive with a traditional 9-to-5.

Opportunity

We're looking for an exceptional lawyer to join our lean, high-impact legal team and lead legal work across our models and the products built on them. This role is for someone who thrives at the intersection of law and model development — a builder with sharp instincts and sound judgment who is steady under ambiguity and fluent in product.

Our legal team has a real seat at the table. You'll partner with our research and data teams on the novel legal questions inside model development, and advise our product teams on the experiences we put in front of users. You'll help Deepgram move at the speed of an ambitious voice AI company while keeping pace with the AI legal frameworks coming online internationally.

Many of the questions in our space don't have settled answers yet. That's the best part of the job. You'll think them through from first principles, design the frameworks that let us scale, and help Deepgram continue to earn its place as the trusted leader in voice AI.

This role is ideal for someone with genuine conviction that voice is the most consequential interface with AI, and who wants to spend the next phase of their career on the legal questions that will define it.

You’ll be the third lawyer on our team, reporting directly to our General Counsel and helping establish a legal function that scales with a company on a steep trajectory, using AI as your default mode of working to set the standard for what AI-native legal work looks like.

What You’ll Do

• Be the go-to counsel for our data and research teams on the legal questions inside model development, and design the frameworks that let research move fast with confidence
• Partner with our product teams to ship products and features that delight our users.
• Draft and review the consumer-facing terms, policies, disclosures, and marketing that go with our products — written for customers, not lawyers
• Continue building out our privacy program — and tell its story to customers — to deepen customer trust in our products
• Stay ahead of the AI legal frameworks developing internationally, translate developments into principles and policies our teams can act on, and help Deepgram develop a clear point of view on responsible AI development
• Develop deep expertise across the legal questions defining AI today, and help advance how our company, and the broader field, thinks about them
• Build the AI-native legal function at Deepgram with workflows and systems that scale our team’s impact

You'll Love This Role If You

• Are passionate about AI and the ability to work alongside cutting-edge researchers and engineering teams
• Get energized by being the first — building systems from scratch, establishing foundational practices, and turning novel legal questions into ones with answers
• Are very practical in addressing legal issues and allergic to unnecessary friction
• Have an abiding spirit of idealism about your chosen profession — you're not just answering legal questions, you're building something that matters
• Have a point of view on what good lawyering looks like and a healthy sense of humor about everything else

It's Important To Us That You Have

• JD from a U.S. accredited law school and 7–15 years of experience in legal practice (or more), in-house, at a firm, or both
• Demonstrated experience counseling product, research, or engineering teams on the legal questions that come up in how AI gets built and deployed
• Fluency in the issues that matter most to us: privacy, IP, data licensing, consumer protection, and the international AI regulatory landscape. Depth in some, excited to learn the rest
• Recognize that law is about the grey areas, and are comfortable living in them, while giving clear and actionable advice
• An AI-native legal practice — workflows you've built into your own work, not just tools you've used
• Exceptional writing — precise, plain, and compelling

It Would Be Great If You Had

• Hands-on experience at a foundation model company or AI research lab — you've seen how legal questions actually arise inside model development
• Depth in one or more emerging AI regulatory regimes (EU AI Act, US states, UK, APAC)

Benefits & Perks*

Holistic health

• Medical, dental, vision benefits
• Annual wellness stipend
• Mental health support
• Life, STD, LTD Income Insurance Plans

Work/life blend

• Unlimited PTO
• Parental leave
• Flexible schedule
• 12 Paid US company holidays
• Quarterly personal productivity stipend
• One-time stipend for home office upgrades
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Tax Savings Programs

Continuous learning

• Learning / Education stipend
• Participation in talks and conferences
• Employee Resource Groups
• AI enablement workshops / sessions

*For candidates outside of the US, we use an Employer of Record model in many countries, which means benefits are administered locally and governed by country-specific regulations. Because of this, benefits will differ by region — in some cases international employees receive benefits US employees do not, and vice versa. As we scale, we will continue to evaluate where we can create more alignment, but a 1:1 global benefits structure is not always legally or operationally possible.

Deepgram is an equal opportunity employer. We want all voices and perspectives represented in our workforce. We are a curious bunch focused on collaboration and doing the right thing. We put our customers first, grow together and move quickly. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information, political affiliation, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.

We are happy to provide accommodations for applicants who need them.