General Counsel

OpenRouter is the unified interface for AI. We connect developers and enterprises to the world’s leading AI models through a single platform, making it easy to access, compare, route, and deploy AI at scale. Since launching in 2023, OpenRouter has become one of the fastest-growing companies in AI. We work across the AI ecosystem, partnering with model developers, infrastructure providers, and customers ranging from individual developers to large enterprises. We are growing rapidly, operating profitably, and building critical infrastructure for the future of AI. THE ROLE OpenRouter is seeking its first General Counsel to build and lead the legal function through our next stage of growth. Today, legal work is handled through a combination of outside counsel, contractors, and internal operators. That has worked well enough to get us here, but the company has reached the point where we need a senior legal leader who can see across the entire business, prioritize legal work, manage risk, and help us scale without slowing us down. This person will serve as a strategic partner to the executive team, own the legal roadmap, manage outside counsel, and build the systems, processes, and team needed to support a fast-growing AI infrastructure company. We are looking for someone who is pragmatic, commercial, highly trusted, and comfortable operating in ambiguity. The right person will not just answer legal questions. They will understand where the company is going and help build the legal foundation to get there. RESPONSIBILITIES EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP & STRATEGY - Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO, COO, executive team, and Board. - Help leadership identify, prioritize, and manage legal, regulatory, and business risk. - Build the legal function from the ground up. - Translate legal complexity into practical business judgment. - Help OpenRouter move quickly while making better, more informed decisions. COMMERCIAL & ENTERPRISE CONTRACTING - Own legal support for customer contracts, especially complex enterprise agreements. - Partner with GTM, finance, product, security, and operations teams to accelerate enterprise deals. - Help legal become a force multiplier for revenue rather than a bottleneck. PROVIDER, VENDOR & STRATEGIC PARTNER AGREEMENTS - Support contracting with model providers, infrastructure providers, labs, vendors, and other strategic partners. - Help standardize agreements across a large and growing provider ecosystem. - Partner with business teams to manage legal risk across both supply and demand sides of the platform. - Oversee vendor, technology, software, infrastructure, and other third-party commercial agreements. COMPLIANCE, TRUST & SAFETY & PLATFORM GOVERNANCE - Own the high-level legal and compliance roadmap for a rapidly evolving AI platform. - Partner with Trust & Safety, Security, Product, and Operations on platform policies and enforcement frameworks. - Help oversee terms of service, privacy, acceptable use policies, sanctions/export controls, jurisdictional restrictions, and related compliance matters. - Build practical compliance processes that fit OpenRouter’s stage, speed, and risk profile. - Monitor emerging AI regulatory developments and convert them into operational guidance. CORPORATE, FINANCING, GOVERNANCE & M&A - Manage corporate governance, Board matters, subsidiary structure, and investor-related legal work. - Lead internal coordination on future financings and strategic transactions. - Oversee legal aspects of acquisitions, including diligence, negotiation, closing, and integration. EMPLOYMENT & PEOPLE OPERATIONS - Serve as the primary legal partner to the People team and leadership. LEGAL OPERATIONS & TEAM BUILDING - Create a clear intake, prioritization, and ownership model for legal work. - Manage existing contractors and outside counsel. - Build a team and legal culture that is responsive, trusted, practical, and deeply embedded in the business. QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED - J.D. and active bar membership. - 10+ years of relevant legal experience. - Significant experience with technology companies, venture-backed companies, commercial contracting, corporate transactions, M&A, or financing. - Experience advising executives on strategic legal and business issues. - Strong commercial judgment and ability to balance speed, risk, and business outcomes. - Ability to manage multiple legal domains without needing a large team on day one. - Excellent communication skills and ability to build trust across functions. PREFERRED - Prior experience as a General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, or senior in-house legal leader. - Experience building or scaling a legal function. - Experience with AI, software infrastructure, marketplaces, developer platforms, cloud, data, or other emerging technologies. - Experience managing complex enterprise customer negotiations. - Experience with provider, vendor, or platform ecosystem agreements. - Familiarity with trust & safety, privacy, sanctions/export controls, AI regulation, or platform compliance. - Experience with M&A, venture financings, Board governance, and post-acquisition integration.