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

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall thread focus

  • This “Who wants to be hired?” thread is essentially a marketplace of individuals advertising availability, not a debate.
  • Posts cover a broad spectrum: IC engineers, designers, data scientists, product and engineering leaders, and non‑engineering roles (PM, UX, DevRel, project/program management).

Roles and seniority

  • Many posters are senior or staff‑level engineers (backend, full‑stack, DevOps/SRE, data/ML, mobile, embedded).
  • Several executives and fractional leaders: CTOs, heads of AI, product leaders, fractional CxOs, and consultants.
  • There are also new grads, early‑career developers, and students seeking internships or first roles.
  • A few non‑coding specialists appear: UX/visual designers, UX researchers, data analysts, technical project managers, and legal/HR/ops profiles.

Technologies and stacks

  • Common stacks:
    • Backend: Python, Go, Java/ Kotlin, C#/C++, Node.js, Ruby/Rails, PHP/Laravel, Rust, Elixir.
    • Frontend: React/Next.js, TypeScript, Vue, Svelte, Tailwind, design systems.
    • Infra: AWS/Azure/GCP, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform/Ansible, CI/CD.
    • Data: Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, Kafka, Spark, dbt, Snowflake/BigQuery.
  • Niche skills: embedded and drivers, FPGA, game engines (Unity/Unreal), CFD and HPC, geospatial/GIS, financial trading/HFT, safety‑critical automotive, telecom/networking, DevTools, and security.

AI/ML and LLM work

  • Very strong AI/LLM presence: RAG, agents/agentic workflows, MCP, vLLM/llama.cpp, fine‑tuning/LoRA, evaluation, voice pipelines, computer vision, and traditional ML.
  • Some specialize in “AI infra” or “AI systems” (latency, observability, orchestration) rather than model research.
  • Multiple posters emphasize heavy use of AI coding tools (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.) in their daily workflow.
  • A minority explicitly state they are not interested in AI/crypto/ads, while others refuse adtech, gambling, or “enshittification” work for ethical reasons.

Industries and domains

  • Frequent domains: fintech, health/medtech, e‑commerce, SaaS/B2B, devtools, security, data platforms.
  • Also represented: aviation, mapping, robotics, games, edtech, civic/gov, automotive, adtech, and blockchain/crypto (with mixed enthusiasm in the thread).

Remote work, geography, and relocation

  • Posters are globally distributed: North America, Europe, UK, India, LatAm, Africa, and Asia–Pacific.
  • Strong bias toward remote‑first roles; many highlight 10–20+ years of remote experience.
  • Some are open to relocation (often with constraints: region, visa, family), others insist on remote‑only.
  • Time‑zone overlap (US or EU) is frequently mentioned.

Engagement types and preferences

  • Mix of full‑time job seekers and contractors/freelancers; many open to either.
  • Several explicitly offer fractional/part‑time leadership or consulting (DevOps, AI, product, data).
  • Rate transparency varies: a few list hourly or monthly rates; most offer “on request.”
  • Common preferences:
    • Early‑stage or 0→1 product work.
    • Small, high‑agency teams.
    • Mission‑driven or “non‑toxic” domains.
    • Interesting technical challenges over pure maintenance.