Ask HN: Who is hiring? (June 2024)

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Scope of the thread

  • Monthly “Who is hiring?” post; hundreds of companies advertise roles across software, data, ML, product, design, and a variety of non‑engineering positions.
  • Sectors include devtools, AI/ML, climate tech, healthcare, fintech, gaming, security, gov/defense, education, and non‑profits.

Remote vs. onsite and time zones

  • Many roles are fully remote but often restricted by geography (US‑only, EU/UK‑only, specific time zones).
  • Several posters lament that strictly onsite roles “lose out on talent,” while some companies explicitly defend in‑person collaboration.
  • Hybrid norms vary from 2–3 days in office to “5 days onsite” for certain early‑stage or hardware‑heavy teams.

Compensation transparency & legal compliance

  • Multiple comments push for including salary ranges; some specifically call out legal requirements in places like New York and California.
  • Some companies respond by adding or updating ranges; others are criticized for omitting them or asking for compensation expectations without giving bands.

Interview processes and candidate experience

  • Candidates question long or multi‑round technical screens (e.g., multi‑hour pair programming, mandatory take‑home problems just to be considered).
  • Application UX is criticized (duplicative questions, mandatory LinkedIn links, SMS consent, video requirements).
  • Re‑applying after rejection is discussed; some companies explicitly encourage it as needs evolve.

Trends in roles and stacks

  • Strong demand for:
    • Backend and full‑stack engineers (Go, Python, TypeScript, Java, C++, Rust, Elixir, Ruby, Scala).
    • ML/AI roles (LLMs, RAG, RLHF, CV, recommendation, MLOps).
    • DevOps/SRE/platform/infrastructure engineers (Kubernetes, Terraform, AWS/GCP/Azure).
  • Also visible: data engineers/scientists, product managers, sales engineers, and DevRel.

Work culture, benefits, and values

  • A few companies highlight 4‑day work weeks and generous PTO as a key differentiator; commenters express strong interest.
  • Some posts emphasize mission‑driven work (climate, healthcare, open source, public interest) or explicitly modest attitudes toward “tech saviorism.”
  • Others advertise high autonomy, small senior teams, and early‑employee equity.

Meta: HN etiquette and moderation

  • Moderators repeatedly remind participants not to use job threads to complain or debate listings; such replies are sometimes detached.
  • Nonetheless, recurring themes—salary transparency, interview length, remote eligibility—surface throughout as community concerns.