About the Role
Hub is a distributed AI data infrastructure company. We provide real-world training data to AI companies through a global network of 500,000+ contributors across 150+ countries and 100+ languages. We own the full end-to-end pipeline: collection, automated processing, human-in-the-loop QA, and delivery. Our clients are leading AI labs and top-tier technology companies who need original, hard-to-access multimodal data — audio, image, and video — that doesn't exist on the public web. The vision: make real-world data collection for AI as simple as an API call.
- 500,000+ contributors · 150+ countries · 100+ languages
- $2M raised · Y Combinator P26
- Clients: Top 10 US technology companies
- HQ: Palo Alto, CA · 100% Remote
Who We're Looking For
This role is not for everyone. We're a small team moving at YC batch pace. The work is real, the stakes are high, and there's no time to manage people.
- Ownership over excuses. You see a problem, you fix it, you document it. You don't wait to be told.
- Speed without sloppiness. You ship fast and you ship clean. You know when to cut and when not to.
- Async-first mindset. You communicate proactively, write clearly, and never become a blocker because you're offline.
- Intellectually honest. You rate yourself accurately. You say "I don't know" and then go find out.
- Builder identity. You have things you've built that you're proud of — side projects, open source, internal tools. You build because you can't help it.
- Low ego, high standards. You take feedback without flinching. You give it without politics. You care about the work, not the credit.
What You Bring
You'll own both ends of the stack. You design and ship the backend APIs that process data from half a million contributors. You build the React interfaces that internal teams and clients actually use. You don't wait for someone to spec things out — you identify the problem, design the solution, and ship it.
Requirements:
- 3+ years of professional full stack engineering experience in production environments
- Strong Python skills and hands-on experience building and deploying production APIs with FastAPI
- Solid React experience — you've shipped real products used by real users, not just demos
- Deep command of SQL — you write and review complex queries, you spot slow ones, you fix them
- Hands-on PostgreSQL experience: indexing, query plan analysis, partitioning, connection pooling, schema design at scale
- Experience with background task processing systems (Celery, RQ, SQS, or equivalent)
- Familiarity with object storage (S3-compatible), containerization (Docker), and REST API design principles
- Ability to own features end-to-end: backend logic, database schema, frontend interface, deployment
Key Responsibilities
- Backend Development Design and maintain FastAPI services powering Hub's data collection and delivery pipeline. Build APIs consumed by internal tools, contributor interfaces, and client-facing integrations. Own reliability, performance, and documentation.
- Database Performance Write, review, and optimize SQL queries for correctness and speed across high-volume datasets. Tune PostgreSQL performance: indexing, query plans, partitioning, connection pooling. Design schemas that scale with Hub's contributor network and project volume.
- Frontend Development Build and iterate on React interfaces for contributors, internal ops, and client-facing dashboards. Translate complex data workflows into clean, usable UI. Maintain performance and responsiveness across all surfaces.
- Async Pipeline Architecture Design and maintain background job systems that handle audio, image, and video file processing at scale. Own reliability and observability of async workflows.
- Cross-Team Collaboration Work closely with ML engineers, DevOps, and the data team to ship integrated features. Participate in architecture discussions and sprint planning. Contribute to internal tooling that accelerates team velocity.
What We Offer
- A founding engineer role — your code runs in production pipelines used by top-tier tech companies
- Competitive salary plus equity / token options at founding-level terms with meaningful upside
- 100% Remote — work from anywhere in the world
- High-ownership environment — your work ships fast and has direct business impact
- Budget and time for continuous learning — courses, conferences, tools
- Direct collaboration with an experienced, technical founding team backed by Y Combinator
Interview Process
To be considered for this role, you must complete our full application form here: Hub Full Stack AI Engineer Application. The application covers 5 parts: your background, technical depth, working style, a mandatory Loom video (5 min, camera on), and availability. Estimated time: 20–30 minutes. Important: At the end of the form, in the "How did you find out about this position?" field, please mention that you applied through YC / Work at a Startup.
- Application Review — We review your full application form, GitHub repos, and Loom video. Incomplete applications are not reviewed.
- Technical Screen — A live technical conversation covering system design, SQL, Python/FastAPI, and React. You'll walk through real problems, not whiteboard puzzles.
- Async Build Challenge — A short, timed take-home task that mirrors actual work at Hub. You'll ship a small feature end-to-end.
- Founder Interview — A conversation with the founding team about values, working style, and long-term alignment.
- Offer — If it's a mutual fit, we move fast. Expect a decision within days, not weeks.