General Interest

About Us

Gaijin Mode is a voice-based Japanese learning game that immerses learners in natural conversations with diverse AI characters from day one. We believe the fastest way to speak Japanese confidently is simply to speak it every day.

Our approach combines rapid language acquisition with fun gameplay by placing players in an immersive world of human-like AI characters, each shaped by unique personalities and social dynamics. We're starting with Japan, with a mid-term vision of expanding into larger 3D worlds and deeper social simulations.

We’re a small and talented team (ex-You.com $1.5B valuation, YC, Stanford, VinAI) moving quickly. If the future of voice-driven gameplay and AI-powered social systems excites you, you’ll feel right at home here.

Why Join Us

• Invent the future of new AI interfaces for games and simulations: Invent new voice-driven gameplay and social systems powered by AI.
• Fast-paced and lean startup: Work with founders to rapidly iterate across marketing, design, story and engineering.
• Accelerated learning: Get a front-row seat to the fast-paced world of AI startups.

What You’ll Do

• Propose what you believe the company should build, then drive it from zero → one with high ownership.
• Propose what’s missing in the player experience, and help craft solutions across story, UX, and systems.
• Propose what you can bring to the table to amplify team strengths, and collaborate closely with founders to push the product forward.

What We’re Looking For

• Strong end-to-end ownership.
• Comfortable wearing multiple hats and collaborating across disciplines.
• A maker mindset - you love creating things, testing quickly, and iterating based on feedback.
• Low-ego, feedback-hungry, and iterative.
• Able to embrace AI to accelerate iteration, with human oversight where it matters.

Nice to Have

• Portfolio showing creative use of AI-assisted tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude Code, v0, Figma automation, Lovable, etc.).
• Visual/UI sensibility.
• Experience with game engines (e.g. Unity, Unreal, etc).
• Familiarity with LLMs, speech/voice UX, or dialogue systems.
• Experience in small, rapid development environments.
• Passion in Japanese culture, language learning or gaming.