Salary matters. So does what your work does once it leaves your laptop.
This week's list: a photo backup tool that refuses to sell your data, a nonprofit sending cash to people in extreme poverty, a search engine built on trust, an AI video lab, and an ontology startup that needs a community builder. All sourced from the October 2026 HN hiring thread, posted this week.
Let's dive in 👇
REMOTE JOBS HIRING NOW
Mobile Developer, Immich | FUTO
Worldwide Remote | Engineering | Open Source Photo Backup
FUTO funds and builds technology that pushes back against centralization. Immich is its self-hostable photo and video backup tool, built for people who want a private home for their memories. FUTO says it has hired seven people from HN postings and asks you to mention where you found the role.
Why it stands out
Worldwide remote, stated in the post
Mission-first company with real open-source work
Mobile role on a product people self-host and care about
Good fit if you: build mobile apps and want your work to be open, private, and used by people who read the code.
Senior Software Engineer | GiveDirectly
Remote (select countries) | Engineering | Global Poverty Relief
GiveDirectly sends cash directly to people living in extreme poverty. It has delivered over $1B to more than 1.5 million people across 15 countries and is aiming to grow delivery 5X year over year. You would build offline data collection for low-network rural villages, fraud detection, KYC, and payments.
Why it stands out
$181K base plus 15% bonus index
Your code moves money to the people who need it
Backed by 20+ randomized controlled trials
Good fit if you: have strong backend or full-stack experience and want direct, measurable impact. Check the eligible country list in the posting before you apply.
Senior Backend Engineer | DuckDuckGo
Remote | Engineering | Privacy and Search
DuckDuckGo is hiring on a mission to raise the standard of trust online. The company states all of its roles are fully remote except where a location is noted, and this one lists none.
Why it stands out
$178,500 USD plus equity
Fully remote company with a clear public mission
Interview process runs through Ashby with a direct role link
Good fit if you: have solid backend experience and want to work at a privacy-first company at scale.
Backend Engineer, API | Runway
Remote | Engineering | AI Video and World Models
Runway is building what it calls Real-World Intelligence: models that understand, simulate, and act in the world. This backend role sits on the API team that serves those models to developers and companies.
Why it stands out
Frontier AI product with a developer-facing API
Same posting lists an Engineering Manager, API role, so the team is growing
Direct Ashby link to this exact role
Good fit if you: have backend experience and want to build the API layer for generative AI. Confirm location eligibility on the posting.
Community and Ecosystem Lead | NeverBlink
Remote (EU) | Community / DevRel | Open Source Ontologies
NeverBlink is building what it describes as a HuggingFace or npm for ontologies, the structures that give data meaning. The role is to get this into the hands of AI and data developers through OSS communities, technical writing, and workshops at conferences.
Why it stands out
You own the process and decide how community gets run
All experience levels welcome, per the post
A non-engineering role in a list full of code
Good fit if you: like open-source communities, writing, and events, and have some background in agents or analytics. Based in the EU.
SKILL BOOSTER
How to Win a Remote Take-Home Assignment
Many remote hiring processes now include a take-home task or paid trial. It is where most strong candidates quietly lose the role.
1. Clarify before you start. Send one short message restating the goal and listing your assumptions. Teams notice who asks sharp questions early.
2. Timebox it, and say so. If they suggest three hours, spend three hours. Note what you would do with more time. Going far over looks like poor judgment, not dedication.
3. Solve the core problem first. Ship a working simple version before adding anything extra. Polish on a broken base never lands.
4. Write a short README. Cover what you built, how to run it, the tradeoffs you made, and what you would do next. Reviewers often read this before opening your work.
5. Make your thinking visible. A small diagram, a decision log, or a three-minute walkthrough shows how you reason, which is what remote teams hire for.
6. Submit early and follow up once. Send it ahead of the deadline with a two-line summary. Then wait. One polite check-in after a week is enough.
A take-home is a preview of working with you. Make it easy to say yes to.
TODAY’S SPOSNSOR
Blu Dot surpasses 2,000% ROAS with self-serve CTV ads
Blu Dot used Roku Ads Manager to drive incredible results for its furniture sales event. Its strategy hinged on custom audiences and retargeting, where intent was strongest.
“Roku has been a top performer,” said Blu Dot’s Claire Folkestad. “We have seen…CPMs lower than any other CTV partner we've worked with.”
TOOLBOX
tldraw ✏️ → Free infinite whiteboard in the browser. Sketch your approach before you build and attach the image to your submission.
Mermaid Live Editor 🧜 → Write a few lines of text and get a clean flowchart or architecture diagram. Paste it straight into a README.
Pomofocus ⏱️ → Simple, free Pomodoro timer in the browser. Helps you stick to the timebox on any assignment.
Cap 🎥 → Open-source screen recorder for quick walkthroughs. Record a short demo of your work and share a link.
💡 Pro Tip
Add a "What I would do next" section to every take-home. It shows judgment and tells the reviewer you can prioritize.
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That's all for today.
Remember: Remote isn't the future. It's now. And we've got your back.
– Team Hiring Path
Real jobs. Real skills. Real opportunity.
