Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (January 2026)

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Hundreds of software engineers, data scientists, product leaders, and designers from around the world are advertising their availability for work, detailing skills that span backend, frontend, mobile, embedded, DevOps, AI/ML, and technical leadership. Most emphasize remote or flexible arrangements, experience in startups and complex systems, and interest in impactful or technically challenging roles, from short-term contracting and fractional CTO work to full-time senior engineering and research positions. The thread effectively functions as a talent directory for companies seeking experienced technical staff across a wide range of stacks and domains.

Overview of the Thread

  • The thread is essentially a huge marketplace of individuals advertising themselves for roles: mostly software engineers, but also product leaders, data scientists, designers, systems/network people, and fractional executives.
  • Posts follow a standard schema: location, remote/relocation preferences, tech stack, links, and a short pitch about what they’re looking for.

Roles and Experience Levels

  • Strong skew toward senior talent:
    • Senior/staff/principal engineers in backend, frontend, full‑stack, mobile (iOS, Android, React Native), embedded/FPGA, DevOps/SRE, data/ML, optimization/operations research, and HPC.
    • Several engineering managers, heads of engineering, CTOs/VPs, and fractional C‑level operators (COO/CPO/CEO for US expansion).
  • Non‑engineering but highly technical roles:
    • Product managers (including growth PM), technical product managers, TPMs, DevRel/advocacy, QA/SDET, UX/UI and product designers.
  • A minority of juniors and career‑switchers (CS students, self‑taught developers, people moving from support/QA/logistics into SWE) explicitly seeking first or early‑career roles or internships.

Technologies and Domains

  • Common stacks:
    • Backend: Python, Go, Rust, Java/Kotlin, C#, Ruby/Rails, Elixir, PHP/Laravel, Node/TypeScript.
    • Frontend: React/Next.js, Vue, Angular, Svelte, Tailwind, design systems, accessibility.
    • DevOps/Infra: AWS/GCP/Azure, Kubernetes, Terraform, Ansible, CI/CD, observability, SRE practices.
    • Data/ML/AI: PyTorch, TensorFlow, OR‑Tools, Gurobi/CPLEX, LLMs, RAG, agentic frameworks, MLOps, optimization and scheduling.
    • Embedded/Systems: C/C++, Rust, RTOS, FPGA, drivers, firmware, Linux/FreeBSD, networking, HPC.
  • Niche domains represented:
    • AR/VR/visionOS, Web Audio/music tooling, GIS/aviation, smart grid/energy transition, cryptography/formal methods, quantum and physics‑based models, bioinformatics, fintech and trading, digital health/HL7 FHIR.

Remote, Relocation, and Geography

  • Clear majority prefer remote; many are open to hybrid or limited on‑site, often tied to major hubs (SF Bay Area, NYC, London, Berlin, etc.).
  • Relocation:
    • Some are firmly “no relocation” or country‑bound.
    • Others are “maybe for the right role,” especially within EU/US/Canada or specific cities.

Preferences, Values, and Constraints

  • Repeated themes:
    • Desire for meaningful/impactful work (health, education, climate, non‑exploitative products).
    • Preference for small, focused teams, high autonomy, low bureaucracy, and async‑friendly culture.
    • Several explicitly avoid ads, gambling, tracking, “enshittification,” hype‑driven AI, or blockchain.
    • A visible split on AI:
      • Some specialize in LLMs/agents and want AI‑native roles.
      • A few explicitly refuse to work on LLMs or any AI on ethical or personal grounds.
  • Many emphasize:
    • Strong communication, mentoring, documentation, and cross‑functional collaboration.
    • Flexible hours and room for self‑directed projects.

Engagement Models

  • Mix of:
    • Full‑time employment seekers.
    • Contractors/freelancers/consultants (including fractional CTO/COO/CPO, DevOps, data science, optimization, and design).
    • Part‑time/fractional and “1–15 hours per week” offerings, especially for DevOps, ML/OR, and senior advisory work.
    • One post explicitly seeking sponsorship (not employment) to work more on open source.

Actual Discussion

  • The only real back‑and‑forth in the thread is a brief exchange about moving from full‑stack toward embedded/hardware:
    • The engineer clarifies they were never purely “webdev,” but moved from broad full‑stack into hardware/embedded roles to be closer to systems, sensors, and RF work, which they had always wanted.