Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (August 2025)

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overview of Candidates

  • Very wide range of roles: backend/full‑stack engineers, ML/AI researchers and engineers, DevOps/SRE/platform, embedded/firmware, iOS/macOS and Android, data science/analytics, security, game/graphics, and infra specialists.
  • Also present: product managers, product/UX/UI designers, technical writers, data and content strategists, growth/marketing, recruiters, architects/CTOs, and fractional/consulting leaders.
  • Senior-heavy overall (10–20+ years common), but also PhD students, fresh grads, and first‑internship seekers.

Technologies & Domains

  • Strong clustering around:
    • Web stacks: TypeScript/JavaScript, React/Next.js, Node, Ruby on Rails, Django/FastAPI, Java/Spring, Go, C#/.NET.
    • Data & infra: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Kafka, Redis, Kubernetes, Terraform, AWS/Azure/GCP, CI/CD.
    • Systems/embedded: C/C++, Rust, ARM, RTOS, Linux kernel, eBPF, HPC, firmware for IoT/consumer devices, robotics, automotive/ADAS.
  • Domain foci include fintech, health/MedTech, trading/HFT, energy/smart grid, games, robotics, creative tech, mapping/geo, and security/pen‑testing.

AI / ML / LLM Emphasis

  • Very large subset oriented around AI:
    • LLMs, RAG, agents, evaluation, MLOps, GPU optimization, inference systems, neuromorphic computing, computer vision, and AI tooling.
    • Examples range from building large‑scale RAG search for enterprises and call centers to AI interview simulators, medical imaging workflows, and generative media tools.
  • Some emphasize ML research (benchmarks, safety, novel architectures); others focus on infra (fast/cheap serving, data pipelines, quantization, Slurm/HPC).

Work Mode, Geography & Constraints

  • Candidates are globally distributed: US and Canada, most of Europe, UK, India, Africa, Latin America, Middle East, Australia/ NZ, and SE Asia.
  • Remote‑only is the dominant preference, especially outside the US; many in major hubs (NYC, SF Bay Area, Seattle, Boston, London, Berlin) welcome hybrid or in‑office.
  • Several specify relocation constraints (e.g., only within EU, only certain countries, health or family limits), salary ranges, or refusal of equity‑only roles.

Meta‑Discussion & Interactions

  • A few replies give practical feedback (e.g., CSS suggestions for a resume site, broken links).
  • Some note security/PII concerns about posting detailed personal info in these threads.
  • Occasional job links are posted in response to specific profiles, plus one company‑side role (Proof) and several “we’re hiring, you should apply” replies.
  • A handful of posts are informal or humorous (e.g., “I just want money bro,” “sacrificial goat for stack ranking”), but the bulk are straightforward, targeted self‑pitches.