Ask HN: Who is hiring? (April 2024)

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Range of roles and domains

  • Huge variety of postings: early-stage startups, profitable SaaS, non-profits, big tech, finance, defense, government, and academia.
  • Common domains: AI/ML (LLMs, RLHF, CV, agents), devtools, data platforms, fintech, health tech, climate/energy, security, robotics, and crypto.
  • Technical stacks frequently mentioned:
    • Web: TypeScript/JavaScript, React/Vue/Next, Ruby on Rails, Node, Python/Django/Flask, Go, Rust, C#.
    • Infra: AWS/GCP/Azure, Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD, Kafka, Snowflake, Postgres.
    • Mobile/desktop: Swift/SwiftUI, React Native, native Android, Electron, Windows/macOS apps.
    • Specialized: C/C++ for systems/quant/embedded, FPGA/EDA, HPC, SLAM/robotics, bioinformatics.

Remote, hybrid, and visa constraints

  • Many teams are fully remote but often constrained by:
    • Time zones (e.g., Americas only, EU only, overlaps with US mornings).
    • Work authorization (US-only, EU-only, Canada-only, “no visa sponsorship”).
  • Others stress on-site or hybrid work, arguing for collaboration, building culture, or hardware access; some candidates push back, especially on climate and commute grounds.
  • A few companies explicitly support relocation and visa sponsorship; many explicitly do not.

Interview processes and candidate experience

  • Several companies emphasize practical, non-LeetCode interviews: take-home tasks, real-world challenges, paid trials, or short-contract periods instead of algorithm puzzles.
  • Some highlight very lightweight processes; others describe multi-step pipelines (phone screen, tech interviews, onsite/full‑day loops).
  • Candidates occasionally complain about:
    • No responses after applying.
    • Very long or stressful processes, including coding platforms with unfamiliar UIs.
    • Roles that seem to be reposted month after month.
  • A few employers respond, citing high application volume and encouraging direct email.

Compensation and equity

  • Many listings include salary ranges; others omit them, drawing criticism, especially in jurisdictions where ranges are expected.
  • Pay spans a wide range (from ~€50–60k up to $250k+ or more with equity); some senior US roles ask about $350k+ TC, with no clear answers in-thread.
  • Some roles emphasize equity or “founding” status; others are explicit about contractor vs employee status and lack of equity.

Meta: hiring ethics and HN norms

  • Strong concern from candidates about companies abusing desperate job seekers (e.g., “practice interviews” with no intent to hire, ghosting).
  • Suggestions that employers post updates when overwhelmed with applicants so candidates don’t waste effort.
  • Moderation steers complaints about specific employers out of the hiring thread, but participants explicitly ask for a venue to report bad behavior.