February 23, 2026
Pixels vs Pull Requests
Hadrius (YC W23) Is Hiring Designers Who Code
Hadrius wants designers who code — Figma funeral or glow-up
TLDR: Hadrius is hiring a code-savvy designer in NYC, saying design will live in the code and Figma use is shrinking as AI tools grow. Commenters cheer the no-handoff dream but roast the ‘not 9-5’ hustle and laugh about a housing stipend that doesn’t stretch far in Manhattan
Hadrius dropped a spicy job listing for a Senior Product Designer in NYC, and the comments went off. The lightning rod: “Figma is being used less, agents more,” plus “design lives in the code.” One camp cheered, saying fewer handoffs and faster feedback sounds like the future; the other cried gatekeeping and hustle culture, quoting “24 hours is a long time” and “This is not a 9‑5.” People debated whether AI “agents” (automated coding helpers) are the new intern or just a buzzword.
Comp talk popped too: 401(k) 100% match up to 6% and equity got nods, while the $18k housing stipend sparked “cute for NYC” memes. On-site only also split the crowd: some love the energy of a tight NYC team, others say “remote or bust.” Hadrius name‑drops mercury.com as their craft standard; designers flexed portfolios and joked, “RIP Figma, long live Git‑terface.”
Fans liked the fast ramp—customer calls week one, ship a big project in month one, own 0‑to‑1 bets by month three—and the chance to be a strategic partner to the CTO and build the design culture with founding designer Anushriya. Skeptics warned: great bar, great burnout. The job listing is officially comment bait.
Key Points
- •Hadrius is hiring a full-time Senior Product Designer to work onsite in New York, NY.
- •Design is integrated with engineering and emphasizes fast feedback; mercury.com is the benchmark for craft.
- •First-week tasks include platform and design system walkthrough, coding environment setup, and a customer call.
- •Within the first month, the designer will ship a major project and create/implement the Hadrius Design System.
- •Qualifications include 6+ years in product design, Figma proficiency, 0-to-1 experience; benefits include salary, equity, 401(k) match, premium healthcare, and an 18k/year housing stipend.