Startup Engineers: Test an AI Coding Tool & Publish Results

PAID 7-DAY AI DEVTOOL CHALLENGE We are hiring technical founders, founding engineers, senior developers, team leads, startup-agency engineers, and serious open-source maintainers to test an AI coding tool on a real codebase. This is not generic app testing or a request for praise. Positive, mixed, critical, blocked, and failed experiences all qualify when the agreed work is completed honestly. WHAT YOU WILL DO 1. BLIND DISCOVERY Before seeing the product, guide, or workflows, give short open-ended answers about your role, startup, repository, recent engineering pain, current process, and what you wish your coding agent understood better. 2. PRIVATE FIRST-REACTION VIDEO Record one continuous face-on video while opening the workflow presentation for the first time. You will see neutral descriptions of all 10 workflows, one at a time. Think aloud about where you would or would not use each one, the pain it could solve, how it fits your process, what you would need to trust it, and why anything feels unclear or irrelevant. There are no ratings, matrices, multiple-choice answers, scripts, or required rankings. We want your natural reactions, questions, skepticism, and connections. Length: 10 to 15 minutes. No live meeting is required. This recording is private research material and is not licensed as a testimonial. 3. ONBOARD AND TEST ON A REAL REPOSITORY After the reaction video, you receive the product identity, full onboarding guide, access, and setup instructions. You also receive an optional invitation to our private Discord. Discord participation never affects selection or payment. Choose one relevant workflow, then: • Install the product in Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor • Use an authorized Python, TypeScript, or JavaScript repository • Run one agreed workflow • Independently check at least two output claims • Submit safely redacted evidence Never expose source code, credentials, secrets, customer data, confidential information, or unreleased vulnerabilities. A documented setup blocker or incorrect result still qualifies when the work is completed honestly. 4. CONCISE PRIVATE DEBRIEF Explain what you tried, expected, and observed; what evidence you checked; what felt trustworthy or untrustworthy; where the product might fit; and what you would try next. Do not repeat the 10-workflow video in writing. 5. PUBLIC TECHNICAL FIELD REPORT Publish one original post on LinkedIn, X, or Instagram. YouTube or Substack may be agreed separately. The post must: • Clearly disclose that you were compensated • Describe the real problem, workflow, and outcome • State what you independently verified • Include any material limitation, uncertainty, miss, or failure • Give your genuine conclusion and tag the product • Include one redacted visual and remain public for at least 30 days Required first line: "Paid technical test: [Product] compensated me to test the product and publish my honest experience." For Instagram, use a permanent carousel or Reel, not only a Story. Use the Paid Partnership label and put the disclosure in the first slide, opening seconds, or first caption lines. Payment does not depend on praise, a recommendation, or a favorable conclusion. COMPENSATION MILESTONE 1: $100 Blind discovery, private reaction video, setup, real-repository test, verification evidence, and private debrief. MILESTONE 2: $100 One compliant public technical field report on the agreed platform. OPTIONAL MILESTONE 3: $100 Selected participants may record a candid 1 to 2 minute customer-experience video covering who they are, the pain, what they tested, what happened, what they verified, and whether they would use it again. The video fee includes a nonexclusive 12-month license for the product website, sales materials, customer communications, and organic social channels. Paid advertising, whitelisting, perpetual use, employer-logo use, sublicensing, and AI alteration require separate written permission. Required compensation: $200 Maximum with optional video: $300 TIMELINE Day 1: Blind discovery, reaction video, onboarding, access, and optional Discord invitation Days 2 to 4: Setup, test, evidence, and debrief Days 5 to 6: Draft and publish the field report Day 7: Optional video and closeout The program is primarily asynchronous and must be completed within seven calendar days. WHO SHOULD APPLY Apply if you: • Currently build, review, or lead software for a startup, startup client, agency, or serious open-source project • Have an authorized repository and a recent engineering problem • Use or can use Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor • Can distinguish repository evidence from plausible AI output • Have a credible public technical or startup profile • Will record an unscripted face-on video and publish the actual outcome • Can complete the program within seven days Do not apply if you are mainly a generic app tester, survey participant, or content creator who does not currently work with software. HOW TO APPLY Begin your proposal with: REAL REPOSITORY Answer the screening questions specifically. Do not include external links, social handles, or contact details before a contract begins.