Silicon Valley companies have spent decades coming to Seattle for engineering talent. Now Seattle-based Overland AI is returning the favor.
The autonomous ground vehicle maker announced Wednesday that it’s opening an office in Burlingame, Calif., to tap into what it calls a world-leading AI and robotics talent pool in the Bay Area.
Located on the San Francisco Peninsula, the new facility will serve as a hub for software engineering and robot operations. The space includes a dedicated command center where operators can remotely task and control Overland’s autonomous ground vehicles across the globe.
The startup touted the location for its proximity to top universities and transit options and said it plans to double its Bay Area headcount over the next six months as it expands development of its off-road navigation software.
“Establishing a physical presence in the Bay gives us direct access to the deepest pool of AI talent in the world,” Jon Fink, CTO at Overland AI, said in a statement.
The move flips the long-standing dynamic between Silicon Valley and the Pacific Northwest. For years, Bay Area tech giants like Google, Meta, and Apple have built engineering outposts across Seattle to tap into the region’s cloud computing and systems talent. Just look at GeekWire’s list of such engineering centers.
But as autonomy and robotics race forward, Overland AI is reversing the talent migration, establishing its own Northern California beachhead to recruit engineers right in Silicon Valley’s backyard.
Founded in 2022 as a spinout from the University of Washington, Overland AI builds software and hardware for uncrewed military land vehicles designed to navigate complex, off-road terrain without GPS.
The startup has raised over $140 million in venture funding, including a $100 million Series A led by 8VC in February. It recently secured a $19.7 million U.S. Marine Corps contract to manufacture self-driving supply vehicles.
In 2025, Overland opened a 22,000-square-foot production facility in the Rainer Beach neighborhood south of downtown Seattle.
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