Artie, a YC S23 startup building AI-powered tools for game developers, is seeking a Founding Product Engineer (#3). This role will be instrumental in shaping the core product, designing and building user interfaces, and implementing integrations with game engines like Unity and Unreal. The ideal candidate possesses strong frontend skills (React, Typescript), experience with 3D graphics or game development, and a passion for building tools that empower creators. This is a high-impact opportunity to join an early-stage team and contribute to the future of game development.
Weave, a YC W25 startup, is seeking a founding product engineer to build the future of online reading. They're developing a collaborative reading platform to facilitate deeper understanding and engagement with complex topics. This role involves designing and building core product features, directly impacting the user experience. Ideal candidates are strong full-stack engineers with a passion for online communities, education, or productivity. Experience with TypeScript/React is preferred, but a proven ability to learn quickly is paramount.
Several commenters on Hacker News expressed skepticism about the extremely broad job description for a founding product engineer at Weave, finding the listed requirements of "full-stack," AI/ML, distributed systems, and mobile development excessive for a single role. Some questioned the feasibility of finding someone proficient in all those areas and suggested the company hadn't properly defined its product vision. Others pointed out the low salary range ($120k-$180k) for such a demanding role, particularly in a competitive market like San Francisco, speculating that it might indicate a lack of funding or unrealistic expectations. A few commenters defended the breadth, suggesting it's common for early-stage startups to require versatility, and emphasizing the learning opportunities inherent in such a role. There was also a brief discussion on the use of AI/ML, with some questioning its necessity at this stage.
Hadrius, a YC W23 startup building a platform to help businesses manage cyber risk, is hiring founding software engineers and tech leads. They're seeking ambitious engineers with a strong foundation in backend development (Go preferred), an interest in security, and a desire to take ownership and grow with a fast-paced startup. Experience with distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and/or data engineering is a plus. Successful candidates will play a critical role in shaping the company's technical direction and building its core product.
Several Hacker News commenters expressed skepticism about the Hadrius job posting, particularly its emphasis on "ambitious career goals" without clearly defined roles or responsibilities. Some saw this as a red flag, suggesting the company might be looking for employees willing to take on excessive work for less pay, exploiting their ambition. Others questioned the vagueness of the posting and its target audience, wondering if it was aimed at junior engineers unaware of typical startup expectations. A few commenters noted the high salary range ($150k-$300k) as unusual and possibly indicative of a very early-stage company trying to attract top talent despite significant risk. Some pointed out the potential downsides of joining such a nascent venture, including the possibility of rapid changes in direction and long hours. Finally, there was discussion about the technology itself (structural integrity monitoring using IoT) with some seeing its potential and others expressing doubts about the market size and competitive landscape.
Shadeform, a YC S23 startup building a collaborative 3D design tool for game developers, is seeking a founding senior software engineer. They're looking for someone with strong experience in 3D graphics, game engines (especially Unreal Engine), and C++. This role will involve significant ownership and influence over the product's technical direction, working directly with the founders to build the core platform and its features from the ground up. Experience with distributed systems and cloud infrastructure is a plus.
Several Hacker News commenters expressed skepticism about the Shadeform job posting, primarily focusing on the requested skillset seeming overly broad and potentially unrealistic for a single engineer. Some questioned the viability of finding a candidate proficient in both frontend (React, WebGL) and backend (Rust, distributed systems) development, along with DevOps and potentially even ML experience. Others noted the apparent disconnect between seeking a "founding" engineer while simultaneously advertising a well-defined product and existing team, suggesting the "founding" title might be misleading. A few commenters also pointed out the low end of the offered salary range ($100k) as potentially uncompetitive, especially given the demanding requirements and Bay Area location. Finally, some discussion revolved around the nature of Shadeform's product, with some speculating about its specific application and target audience.
Artie, a YC S23 startup building a distributed database for vector embeddings, is seeking a third founding engineer. This role offers significant equity and the opportunity to shape the core technology from an early stage. The ideal candidate has experience with distributed systems, databases, or similar low-level infrastructure, and thrives in a fast-paced, ownership-driven environment. Artie emphasizes strong engineering principles and aims to build a world-class team focused on performance, reliability, and scalability.
Several Hacker News commenters expressed skepticism about the Founding Engineer role at Artie, questioning the extremely broad required skillset and the startup's focus, given the seemingly early stage. Some speculated about the actual work involved, suggesting it might primarily be backend infrastructure or web development rather than the advertised "everything from distributed systems to front-end web development." Concerns were raised about the vague nature of the product and the potential for engineers to become jacks-of-all-trades, masters of none. Others saw the breadth of responsibility as potentially positive, offering an opportunity to wear many hats and have significant impact at an early-stage company. Some commenters also engaged in a discussion about the merits and drawbacks of using Firebase.
Foundry, a YC-backed startup, is seeking a founding engineer to build a massive web crawler. This engineer will be instrumental in designing and implementing a highly scalable and robust crawling infrastructure, tackling challenges like data extraction, parsing, and storage. Ideal candidates possess strong experience with distributed systems, web scraping technologies, and handling terabytes of data. This is a unique opportunity to shape the foundation of a company aiming to index and organize the internet's publicly accessible information.
Several commenters on Hacker News expressed skepticism and concern regarding the legality and ethics of building an "internet-scale web crawler." Some questioned the feasibility of respecting robots.txt and avoiding legal trouble while operating at such a large scale, suggesting the project would inevitably run afoul of website terms of service. Others discussed technical challenges, like handling rate limiting and the complexities of parsing diverse web content. A few commenters questioned Foundry's business model, speculating about potential uses for the scraped data and expressing unease about the potential for misuse. Some were interested in the technical challenges and saw the job as an intriguing opportunity. Finally, several commenters debated the definition of "internet-scale," with some arguing that truly crawling the entire internet is practically impossible.
PropRise, a YC S23 startup, is seeking its first Founding Engineer to build a platform streamlining the commercial real estate appraisal process. This full-stack role involves building the core product from the ground up, including frontend, backend, and database architecture. The ideal candidate is experienced with modern web frameworks, enjoys fast-paced startup environments, and is passionate about improving efficiency in complex industries. Equity is offered, providing an opportunity to significantly impact and benefit from the company's growth.
The Hacker News comments discuss the unusual nature of the job posting for a "Founding Engineer" at a company that already seems to have a product and existing engineers. Several commenters express skepticism about the "Founding Engineer" title, suggesting it might be a way to underpay or mislead potential hires. Others speculate on the reasons behind the seemingly contradictory situation, proposing that perhaps the existing team is non-technical or that the company is pivoting and needs to rebuild its engineering team. Some users question the high salary range offered ($170k - $280k), wondering if it's realistic for a pre-seed company. There's also a brief discussion about the company's business model and potential market.
Exa Laboratories, a YC S24 startup, is seeking a founding engineer to develop AI-specific hardware. They're building chips optimized for large language models and generative AI, focusing on reducing inference costs and latency. The ideal candidate has experience with hardware design, ideally with a background in ASIC or FPGA development, and a passion for AI. This is a ground-floor opportunity to shape the future of AI hardware.
HN commenters discuss the ambitious nature of building AI chips, particularly for a small team. Some express skepticism about the feasibility of competing with established players like Google and Nvidia, questioning whether a startup can realistically develop superior hardware and software given the immense resources already poured into the field. Others are more optimistic, pointing out the potential for specialization and niche applications where a smaller, more agile company could thrive. The discussion also touches upon the trade-offs between general-purpose and specialized AI hardware, and the challenges of attracting talent in a competitive market. A few commenters offer practical advice regarding chip design and the importance of focusing on a specific problem within the broader AI landscape. The overall sentiment is a mix of cautious interest and pragmatic doubt.
The Forecasting Company, a Y Combinator (S24) startup, is seeking a Founding Machine Learning Engineer to build their core forecasting technology. This role will involve developing and implementing novel time series forecasting models, working with large datasets, and contributing to the company's overall technical strategy. Ideal candidates possess strong machine learning and software engineering skills, experience with time series analysis, and a passion for building innovative solutions. This is a ground-floor opportunity to shape the future of a rapidly growing startup focused on revolutionizing forecasting.
HN commenters discuss the broad scope of the job posting for a founding ML engineer at The Forecasting Company. Some question the lack of specific problem areas mentioned, wondering if the company is still searching for its niche. Others express interest in the stated collaborative approach and the opportunity to shape the technical direction. Several commenters point out the potentially high impact of accurate forecasting in various fields, while also acknowledging the inherent difficulty and potential pitfalls of such a venture. A few highlight the YC connection as a positive signal. Overall, the comments reflect a mixture of curiosity, skepticism, and cautious optimism regarding the company's prospects.
Roe AI, a YC W24 startup, is seeking a Founding Engineer to build AI-powered tools for reproductive health research and advocacy. The ideal candidate will have strong Python and data science experience, a passion for reproductive rights, and comfort working in a fast-paced, early-stage environment. Responsibilities include developing data pipelines, building statistical models, and creating user-facing tools. This role offers significant equity and the opportunity to make a substantial impact on an important social issue.
HN commenters discuss Roe AI's unusual name, given the sensitive political context surrounding "Roe v Wade," with some speculating it might hinder recruiting or international expansion. Several users question the startup's premise of building a "personalized AI copilot for everything," doubting its feasibility and expressing concerns about privacy implications. There's skepticism about the value proposition and whether this approach is genuinely innovative. A few commenters also point out the potentially high server costs associated with the "always-on" aspect of the AI copilot. Overall, the sentiment leans towards cautious skepticism about Roe AI's viability.
Reprompt, a YC W24 startup, is seeking a Founding AI Engineer to build their core location data infrastructure. This role involves developing and deploying machine learning models to process, clean, and enhance location data from various sources. The ideal candidate has strong experience in ML/AI, particularly with geospatial data, and is comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment. They will be instrumental in building a world-class location data platform and play a key role in shaping the company's technical direction.
HN commenters discuss the Reprompt job posting, focusing on the vague nature of the "world-class location data" and the lack of specifics about the product. Several express skepticism about the feasibility of accurately mapping physical spaces with AI, particularly given privacy concerns and existing solutions like Google Maps. Others question the startup's actual problem space, suggesting the job description is more about attracting talent than filling a specific need. The YC association is mentioned as both a positive and negative signal, with some seeing it as validation while others view it as a potential indicator of a premature venture. A few commenters suggest potential applications, such as improved navigation or augmented reality experiences, but overall the sentiment reflects uncertainty about Reprompt's direction and viability.
SciPhi, a YC W24 startup, is seeking a Founding AI Research Engineer to build the "copilot for science." This role involves developing AI models for scientific discovery, potentially including tasks like designing experiments, analyzing data, and generating scientific text. Ideal candidates possess strong machine learning expertise, experience with large language models, and a passion for scientific advancement. This is a full-time, remote position offering significant equity and the opportunity to shape the future of scientific research.
HN commenters discuss SciPhi's job posting, expressing skepticism about the extremely broad required skillset, from AI research to frontend and backend development, devops, and even UI/UX design. Some speculate this signals a pre-seed stage startup looking for a "Swiss Army Knife" engineer to handle everything, which could be appealing to some but off-putting to specialists. Others question the feasibility of one person possessing such a diverse range of expertise at a high level. There's also debate on the appropriateness of requesting research publications for such a role and whether the compensation is competitive, given the demands. Several commenters highlight the high bar set by the requirements and the potential for burnout, while others see it as a great opportunity for a generalist to have a significant impact on a new company. The lack of specific research areas mentioned also draws some criticism, with commenters desiring more clarity on SciPhi's focus.
Converge, a YC S23 startup, is seeking a founding engineer to join their team in NYC. They're building a platform to simplify complex enterprise software procurement, aiming to bring transparency and efficiency to the process. The ideal candidate is a full-stack engineer with strong frontend experience, comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment. Experience with React and Typescript is preferred, and a passion for building impactful products is essential. This is a ground-floor opportunity to shape a company from its early stages and have significant ownership over the product.
Several commenters on Hacker News expressed skepticism about the extremely broad required and "nice-to-have" skills listed in the job posting, finding it unrealistic for a single engineer to possess expertise in such a wide range. Others questioned the high equity offer (0.5-1.5%) for a second engineer, suggesting it might be inflated and not truly representative of the company's stage. The NYC location was also a point of discussion, with some commenters noting the high cost of living and questioning the long-term viability of remaining in the city given potential equity dilution. Finally, several users questioned the core business idea and its differentiation in a crowded market.
CollectWise, a YC F24 startup building a platform for collectibles, is hiring a Founding Engineer. They're looking for a full-stack engineer proficient in React, Node.js, and PostgreSQL to help build their core product. This role involves significant ownership and impact on the company's technical direction and offers competitive salary and equity. Ideal candidates are passionate about collectibles, eager to work in a fast-paced startup environment, and have a strong bias for shipping quickly.
Several Hacker News commenters expressed skepticism about CollectWise's business model, questioning the viability of selling directly to collectors and the potential market size. Some commenters also pointed out the competitive landscape, noting existing players in the collectibles management space. A few users inquired about technical details like the tech stack and the nature of the "founding engineer" role. There was a brief discussion around the valuation of collectibles and the challenges of accurate pricing. Overall, the comments reflected a cautious interest in the company, with many seeking further clarification on its strategy and target market.
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https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43666112
Hacker News users discussed the Artie job posting, focusing on the requested experience level for a "founding engineer." Many felt the requirements, including experience with scaling systems and leading teams, were excessive for a third engineer at an early-stage startup. Some argued that such demands indicate a lack of understanding about early-stage company needs, where adaptability and rapid development are often more valuable than scaling expertise. Others suggested the company might be looking for a more senior "lead engineer" disguised as a founding engineer, possibly due to funding levels or founder background. The high salary offered ($200k-$300k) was also mentioned, with some believing it reflected the demanding requirements, while others considered it potentially inflated for the stage of the company. A few commenters also discussed Artie's product itself, an AI-powered writing assistant, expressing skepticism about its differentiation in a competitive market.
The Hacker News post titled "Artie (YC S23) Is Hiring Engineer #3" linking to a Y Combinator job posting for Artie has generated a modest number of comments, primarily focused on the perceived difficulty of the technical challenge Artie is tackling.
One commenter expresses skepticism about the feasibility of achieving the stated goals, specifically questioning whether building a "truly open-ended creative AI writing assistant" is currently possible. They suggest that the current state of AI is more suited to narrow, well-defined tasks and that achieving true open-ended creativity in writing is a significantly more challenging problem. This comment raises a core concern about the ambitious nature of the project and implicitly questions whether applicants should be concerned about the technical viability of the company's vision.
Another commenter focuses on the specific requirement for candidates to have experience with large language models (LLMs), arguing that this limits the potential applicant pool to those who have worked with these cutting-edge technologies, which are still relatively new. This observation highlights the specialized skills needed for the position and suggests that Artie is looking for highly qualified individuals with specific experience in a rapidly evolving field. They also subtly imply that the requirement might unnecessarily restrict the applicant pool, potentially excluding talented individuals with transferable skills.
Further discussion ensues around the practicalities of using LLMs for creative writing, with one user pointing out the inherent difficulty in generating long-form coherent narratives with current AI technology. They elaborate by mentioning issues like repetition and maintaining consistent characterization across a longer piece of writing, highlighting the challenges of applying LLMs to complex creative tasks.
A later comment expresses interest in the position but also voices some concerns about the company's commitment to open-source principles. They question the long-term plan for Artie and whether the company intends to remain dedicated to open source, indicating a desire for more information about the company's future direction. This commenter represents a potential applicant who is interested in the technical challenge but also wants to ensure alignment with their personal values regarding open-source software.
Finally, another comment shifts the focus from technical challenges to the market opportunity, suggesting that the market for AI writing tools might be saturated and that Artie needs a clear differentiator to succeed. This comment introduces a business-oriented perspective to the discussion, raising the question of whether Artie can carve out a niche in a competitive landscape.
In summary, the comments on the Hacker News post express a mixture of intrigue, skepticism, and pragmatic concern regarding the technical challenges, market opportunity, and company direction of Artie. While some are excited about the potential of the technology, others raise valid concerns about the feasibility of the project and the specific requirements for the role. The comments provide a diverse range of perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing Artie as they seek to hire their third engineer.