January 27, 2026
Mother of all job posts
Mothers (YC X26, Defense Tech) Is Hiring
Big pay, tiny equity, and on-site only — cue the ethics vs paycheck brawl
TLDR: Mothers, a Y Combinator-backed defense startup, is hiring on-site in Austin with salaries up to $400K and small equity. Comments erupted over ethics vs pay, remote vs on-site life, and whether “multiple ranges” means dream comp or bait-and-switch—turning a job post into a full-blown internet brawl.
YC-backed defense startup Mothers just dropped a hiring bombshell in Austin: full-time, on-site roles with pay topping $400K for acoustic and computer vision wizards. The listing here reads like a shopping list—Applied ML (sound), DSP (sound math), Systems (sound hardware), and Computer Vision (teaching computers to see)—with 0.1%–0.5% equity and “multiple ranges” that set off sirens. The comments went feral. One camp cheered the money and mission—“national security work that actually matters”—while another called it “war cash,” accusing YC (their profile) of becoming the new Raytheon-in-a-hoodie. On-site in Austin ignited a remote-work flame war, with people roasting the “back to the badge” vibe and joking you’ll be testing microphones in Barton Springs by lunch. The acoustic angle sparked speculation: submarines? drone ears? whale whispering? Memes flew: “Mother knows best,” “Join the Mother-ship,” and “DSP = Don’t Stay Passive.” The pay range drew side-eye—“$100K to $400K is not a range, it’s a mood”—and the equity got clowned as pizza crumbs. Meanwhile, pragmatists shrugged: defense pays, clearances come later, and Austin’s tacos are undefeated. Whether you’re into purpose or paycheck, Mothers kickstarted a money vs morals showdown with extra Tex-Mex drama.
Key Points
- •Mothers, a YC X26 defense tech startup, is hiring multiple engineering roles in Austin.
- •Open positions include Applied ML Engineer (Acoustic), Computer Vision Engineer, DSP Engineer (Acoustic), and Systems Engineer (Acoustic).
- •All roles are full-time and on-site in Austin.
- •Compensation ranges include $100K–$400K (multiple ranges) and $150K–$250K in salary, with equity of 0.1%–0.5%.
- •Several roles emphasize acoustic specialization, particularly in ML, DSP, and systems engineering.