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

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Roles and Experience Levels

  • Wide range of experience from interns and new grads to 20+ year veterans, staff/principal engineers, former CTOs, and founders.
  • Many senior ICs and engineering leaders seeking staff-level roles, fractional CTO/VP Eng, or advisory/consulting work.
  • Several explicitly want part‑time (20–30h/week) or contract engagements; others are open to full-time but emphasize flexibility.
  • A noticeable number of people are pivoting: academics to industry, infra to ML, security to product, or returning from early retirement.

Technologies and Specializations

  • Strong concentration in web development: JavaScript/TypeScript, React/Next.js, Node, Ruby on Rails, Django, and related stacks.
  • Substantial presence of backend, data, and infra engineers: Go, Rust, Python, Java, C#, SQL/NoSQL, Kafka, Kubernetes, Terraform, AWS/GCP/Azure.
  • Multiple embedded, firmware, low‑level, and systems engineers (C/C++, Rust, kernels, drivers, robotics, automotive, DSP, realtime).
  • Several people highlight experience with high-scale, low-latency, or mission‑critical systems (finance, telco, AV, industrial, gaming).

AI / ML and LLM Work

  • Many explicitly focus on ML/AI: applied ML engineers, data scientists, LLM/RAG/agentic framework builders, AI platform & MLOps specialists.
  • A lot of “AI integration” and “agentic workflows” work at the app layer: RAG chatbots, document intelligence, AI copilots, codegen tools.
  • Some deep research profiles (PhDs, published authors, conference papers) looking for internships or staff roles in LLMs, LVLMs, or scientific ML.

Product, Design, and Non‑Dev Roles

  • Product managers (including director‑level and ex‑founders), product marketing, and growth engineers offering strategy plus hands‑on execution.
  • Multiple UX/UI and product designers, including SaaS‑focused, B2B security/fintech designers, and creative technologists in interactive/immersive work.
  • Data analysts/BI and analytics engineers emphasizing experimentation, dashboards, and product analytics.

Geography, Remote, and Values

  • Global distribution: US, Canada, Europe (including UK, DACH, Nordics, Balkans), Latin America, Africa, Middle East, India, and SE Asia.
  • Most are remote‑friendly; many have long remote histories. Some insist on remote‑only, others prefer hybrid or specific cities.
  • Several explicitly seek “impactful” domains: climate/energy, healthcare, education, smart grids, Africa-focused work, or socially beneficial tech.
  • Thread includes light interaction: fix‑your‑resume‑link comments, direct interest in specific posters’ profiles, small project outreach, and one detailed role pitch to a candidate.