Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (July 2025)

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Scope and Structure of the Thread

  • Thread is overwhelmingly composed of “SEEKING WORK” posts, with a smaller number of “SEEKING FREELANCER” listings.
  • Most posts follow a consistent pattern: location, remote/relocation preferences, tech stack, short pitch, and contact info.
  • A few replies correct mis-labeled posts (e.g., people who wrote “FREELANCER” but are actually seeking work).

Types of Services Offered

  • Strong concentration of:
    • Full‑stack, backend, and frontend engineers (JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Ruby/Rails, Go, Rust, Java, C#, etc.).
    • Data engineers, data scientists, ML/LLM and computer vision specialists.
    • DevOps/SRE/infrastructure and cloud architects (AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD).
    • Mobile and embedded engineers (iOS/Android, visionOS, Flutter, embedded C/C++, IoT).
    • Security and infra specialists (penetration testing, cryptography, red teaming, API security).
  • Also many non‑pure‑coding roles:
    • Product managers, fractional CTOs, tech leads, operations/incident consultants.
    • UX/UI, brand, and product designers; technical writers; marketing and business development; finance/FP&A.
    • Niche domains: biotech/bioinformatics, operations research, audio/interactive systems, AV integration, smart grids/energy.

Technologies and Domains

  • Common stacks: React/Next.js, Vue, Angular, Node.js, Django/FastAPI, Rails, Laravel, PostgreSQL/MySQL, Docker/K8s.
  • Noticeable emphasis on:
    • LLMs, agents, RAG, LangChain, MCP, AI infra and optimization.
    • Fintech, payments, healthcare, legal tech, sports analytics, gaming, document processing, IoT, and geospatial/remote sensing.

Engagement Models and Positioning

  • Many offer:
    • Fractional/part‑time leadership (CTO, VPoE, product).
    • Fixed‑price projects, weekly subscription models, retainers, or sprint‑based pricing.
    • Coaching/mentoring, audits (security, UX, infra, data), and “founding engineer for hire” services.
  • Several explicitly target early‑stage startups, 0→1 MVPs, and modernization of legacy systems.

Tone, Feedback, and Skepticism

  • Most posts are straightforward, positive self‑marketing; some emphasize social impact or education.
  • One commenter offers blunt negative feedback on portfolio/homepage quality, saying they would not hire based on what they see and emphasizing “what can you do for me” over bios.
  • A few posters are self‑effacing or unusually low‑priced, signaling desire for learning, impact, or initial clients rather than maximizing rate.