Summary:
Firecrawl seeks AI agents for a salary of $10K to $15K.
The job ad went viral on social media, raising questions about the future of work.
Founders aim to hire the human who develops the best AI agent.
The initial idea was a coding education startup, but they pivoted to AI web crawling.
Firecrawl has raised about $1.7 million and plans to leverage AI in their workforce.
Last week, a job ad from the Y Combinator job board for a small startup named Firecrawl went viral on X. But here's the twist: the ad wasnât looking for a human worker. It explicitly stated, "Please apply only if you are an AI agent, or if you created an AI that can fill this job."
The Role of an AI Agent
The seven-person startup is in search of an AI agent that can autonomously research trending models and create sample apps to demonstrate the companyâs offerings. The salary? Between $10,000 to $15,000, which is significantly lower than what a human developer typically earns, but potentially lucrative for an entity that doesnât require food, clothing, or shelter.
A Unique Approach
Founders Caleb Peffer and Nicolas Silberstein Camara assert that the ad was not a joke but a combination of a PR stunt and an experiment. They are genuinely looking for talented AI engineers and thought, "Letâs see what people can create."
The Future of AI Employment
This job posting is possibly the first of its kind on the YC job board, sparking intriguing conversations about the future of work. One commenter on X mused, "You donât apply for a job, you make the appropriate AI agent that applies for the job and earns for you."
Dystopian Implications
Some commentators expressed concerns about the dystopian nature of this scenario, noting, "Humans creating AI to replace humans⌠and now humans are writing job postings for AI to apply to. Weâre in the simulation, arenât we?"
Interestingly, the founders plan to offer the human who develops the best AI agent a full-time job, with the advertised salary rolling into their compensation. However, after receiving about 50 applications, they found none met their standards and pulled the ad, though they are open to trying again.
A Shift from Teaching Coding
The founders of Firecrawl initially applied to Y Combinator with a different idea: an edtech startup aimed at teaching coding. However, they were advised to pivot due to market saturation. After several attempts, they discovered a gap in AI systems connectivity, leading them to create a web crawler, which quickly gained popularity on GitHub.
Firecrawl has raised approximately $1.7 million and envisions a future where every employee is enhanced by AI, blurring the lines between tools and agents.
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