Latest news with #Firecrawl
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Y Combinator Startup Firecrawl Offers $1M For AI Agents That Blog, Code, And Do Customer Support Without Sleeping
Y Combinator-backed startup Firecrawl is offering up to $1 million to hire three autonomous AI agents, one for blogging, one for customer support, and one for software development. According to founder Caleb Peffer, the listings attracted approximately 50 applicants within the first week of going live, signaling strong early interest in the concept of autonomous AI employment, TechCrunch reports. Don't Miss: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. Firecrawl develops AI-optimized web crawlers designed to help enterprises collect structured data for large language models. According to TechCrunch, rather than simply building tools for AI, the company is now seeking to hire AI agents as autonomous employees. Firecrawl's new job posts on Y Combinator's job board are labeled for 'AI agents only.' The company wants three distinct AI agents, each with a clear job description, performance expectations, and a monthly salary between $5,000 and $25,000. According to an X post made by Peffer on May 9, the full budget for this project tops $1 million. The first role is for a content creation agent designed to function as a full-stack marketing machine. According to the job description, this agent would write SEO-optimized blog posts, analyze engagement metrics, and continuously evolve its content based on real-time performance. Its goal is to produce content that ranks, converts, and improves itself without human interference. Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — The second position is for a junior developer agent tasked with triaging GitHub issues, writing documentation, and submitting production-ready code in both TypeScript and Go. This agent is expected to function like a 10x engineer assistant: fast, accurate, and endlessly scalable, the job description says. The third position is a customer support engineer agent capable of answering tickets in under two minutes. The job description says the agent must understand when to escalate an issue and learn from repeated interactions. According to the job post, prior customer support experience is preferred, a wink at the fact that this job is ideally suited for a semi-autonomous AGI trained on thousands of support threads. While the ads are targeted at autonomous agents, Firecrawl is also open to hiring the humans who design and build these agents, Peffer's X post says. The company may also hire the humans who build the agents, whether as full-time employees, contractors, or external startups, TechCrunch founder acknowledges the limits of current AI, saying that the dream agent doesn't exist yet. But he believes the future belongs to humans who can deploy and manage AI armies, not just use AI tools. 'AI can't replace humans today. The future, what we see, is a world where the next 10x engineers are operating armies of agents, AI systems that they're building, maintaining, and monitoring. What we want to do is work with people that want to be those agent operators,' Peffer told TechCrunch. Firecrawl isn't the only startup hiring AI agents. Across Y Combinator's job board, demand for AI agents and agent developers is climbing. From customer service bots to autonomous coders, Silicon Valley startups are betting big on modular, multi-agent systems, TechCrunch reports. With a bold $1 million wager and a head start in building ethical crawling infrastructure, Firecrawl is positioning itself at the forefront of the AI agent movement. Read Next: Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal:. Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Image: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Y Combinator Startup Firecrawl Offers $1M For AI Agents That Blog, Code, And Do Customer Support Without Sleeping originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Y Combinator startup Firecrawl is ready to pay $1M to hire three AI agents as employees
Y Combinator-backed startup Firecrawl is back on the hunt for AI agent employees. As we reported back in February, its first attempt didn't yield an AI worth hiring. But it's now placed three new ads on YC's job board for 'AI agents only' and has set aside a $1 million budget total to make it happen. Within about a week after the new job posts went live, it had about 50 applicants, founder Caleb Peffer tells TechCrunch. Firecrawl offers a web crawling tool that scrapes data from websites for LLMs. This is, Peffer admits, a shady part of the AI ecosystem where bad behaving web crawlers can sometimes pound websites like DDoS attacks. But Firewcrawl has gained popularity by trying to bring in some guardrails, he says. For instance, many of its customers are enterprises scraping their own data for internal LLM use. Some websites want their data included in chatbot responses, just like they want Google links, he says. Additionally, the tool honors settings and can be set to only scrape a public website once and share the data with others. Consequently, one job opening is for a content creation agent 'that never sleeps and always ships' that will autonomously produce 'high quality' SEO-pleasing blog posts and tutorials on how to use its product, the startup's ad says. Firecrawl wants this AI to watch engagement metrics and use that to autonomously improve the audience for its content, too. In other words: the agent should decide what to create, create it, post it, measure the audience, and grow mastery from that feedback, autonomously. If you are a borderline AGI AI made for blogging, this could be the job for you. The advertised pay is $5,000 a month. The company is also looking for a customer support engineer agent that will be tasked with crafting the AI workflow that responds to customer issues within two minutes and can handle tickets on its own, knowing when to escalate to a human. Previous experience doing customer support is requested. Pay is also $5,000/month. The third opening is for a junior developer agent who'll be tasked with prioritizing incoming Github issues, writing documentation and writing code in TypeScript and Go. Once again, the pay also $5,000/month. But here's the catch: Firecrawl is also hoping to hire human creator or creators behind these bots — and the $1 million budget is for hiring both agents and humans, though it's not clear how many years the budget is supposed to cover. The startup might hire the humans full time, or as contractors (which might make more sense if they're creating lots of agents for lots of companies,). Firecrawl is also entertaining bids from other startups that specialize in creating the types of agents that it's looking for, say in customer service, Peffer says. The truth is, the AI employee of Firecrawl's dreams doesn't exist yet. Maybe it never will. 'AI can't replace humans today,' Peffer says. 'The future, what we see, is a world where the next 10x engineers are operating armies of agents, AI systems that they're building, maintaining, and monitoring. What we want to do is work with people that want to be those agent operators.' Firecrawl is not the only one. YC's job board is full of jobs for developers of agents. Will their creations ever replace them as Silicon Valley is continuously wishing? That's the real million-dollar question. Sign in to access your portfolio
TechCrunch
17-05-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Y Combinator startup Firecrawl is ready to pay $1M to hire three AI agents as employees
Y Combinator-backed startup Firecrawl is back on the hunt for AI agent employees. As we reported back in February, its first attempt didn't yield an AI worth hiring. But it's now placed three new ads on YC's job board for 'AI agents only' and has set aside a $1 million budget total to make it happen. Within about a week after the new job posts went live, it had about 50 applicants, founder Caleb Peffer tells TechCrunch. Firecrawl offers a web crawling tool that scrapes data from websites for LLMs. This is, Peffer admits, a shady part of the AI ecosystem where bad behaving web crawlers can sometimes pound websites like DDoS attacks. But Firewcrawl has gained popularity by trying to bring in some guardrails, he says. For instance, many of its customers are enterprises scraping their own data for internal LLM use. Some websites want their data included in chatbot responses, just like they want Google links, he says. Additionally, the tool honors settings and can be set to only scrape a public website once and share the data with others. Consequently, one job opening is for a content creation agent 'that never sleeps and always ships' that will autonomously produce 'high quality' SEO-pleasing blog posts and tutorials on how to use its product, the startup's ad says. Firecrawl wants this AI to watch engagement metrics and use that to autonomously improve the audience for its content, too. In other words: the agent should decide what to create, create it, post it, measure the audience, and grow mastery from that feedback, autonomously. If you are a borderline AGI AI made for blogging, this could be the job for you. The advertised pay is $5,000 a month. Techcrunch event Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot for our leading AI industry event with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere. For a limited time, tickets are just $292 for an entire day of expert talks, workshops, and potent networking. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | REGISTER NOW The company is also looking for a customer support engineer agent that will be tasked with crafting the AI workflow that responds to customer issues within two minutes and can handle tickets on its own, knowing when to escalate to a human. Previous experience doing customer support is requested. Pay is also $5,000/month. The third opening is for a junior developer agent who'll be tasked with prioritizing incoming Github issues, writing documentation and writing code in TypeScript and Go. Once again, the pay also $5,000/month. But here's the catch: Firecrawl is also hoping to hire human creator or creators behind these bots — and the $1 million budget is for hiring both agents and humans, though it's not clear how many years the budget is supposed to cover. The startup might hire the humans full time, or as contractors (which might make more sense if they're creating lots of agents for lots of companies,). Firecrawl is also entertaining bids from other startups that specialize in creating the types of agents that it's looking for, say in customer service, Peffer says. The truth is, the AI employee of Firecrawl's dreams doesn't exist yet. Maybe it never will. 'AI can't replace humans today,' Peffer says. 'The future, what we see, is a world where the next 10x engineers are operating armies of agents, AI systems that they're building, maintaining, and monitoring. What we want to do is work with people that want to be those agent operators.' Firecrawl is not the only one. YC's job board is full of jobs for developers of agents. Will their creations ever replace them as Silicon Valley is continuously wishing? That's the real million-dollar question.
Geeky Gadgets
15-05-2025
- Geeky Gadgets
7 Essential AI Agent Tools for n8n for Smarter Workflows
What if you could supercharge your AI workflows, turning complex automation challenges into seamless, efficient processes? In a world where data is growing exponentially and automation is no longer a luxury but a necessity, the tools you choose can make or break your productivity. Enter n8n, the open source automation platform that's redefining how we connect systems and streamline tasks. But here's the twist: the real magic happens when you pair n8n with the right AI agent tools. From managing vast language models to automating data parsing and visualization, these tools don't just enhance workflows—they transform them into something smarter, faster, and more impactful. AI Foundations introduces you to seven essential AI agent tools that integrate seamlessly with n8n, each designed to tackle specific pain points in automation. Whether you're looking to centralize access to large language models, automate web scraping, or create dynamic visualizations, these tools offer solutions that are as innovative as they are practical. Along the way, you'll discover how these integrations can simplify intricate processes, optimize data handling, and unlock new possibilities for AI-driven systems. By the end, you'll not only have a toolkit to elevate your workflows but also a fresh perspective on what's possible when automation meets intelligence. Let's explore the tools that could redefine how you work. n8n Tools for AI Workflows OpenRouter: Centralized Access to Large Language Models OpenRouter provides centralized access to over 428 large language models, making it a cornerstone for AI-driven workflows. Its integration with n8n simplifies tasks such as model selection, split testing, and applying filters tailored to specific requirements. Whether you are developing conversational AI systems or conducting text analysis, OpenRouter's API keys ensure a seamless integration process. This tool is particularly valuable for those aiming to streamline AI model management while improving workflow efficiency. By using OpenRouter, you can focus on achieving precise results without the complexity of managing multiple models independently. Firecrawl: Automating Web Scraping Firecrawl is a robust web scraping tool designed to automate the extraction of structured data from websites. Supporting formats such as JSON, HTML, and Markdown, it is especially useful for gathering real-time information, including documentation or web-based content. When integrated with n8n, Firecrawl eliminates the need for manual data collection, allowing the creation of dynamic workflows that rely on up-to-date information. This capability is invaluable for projects requiring continuous data updates, such as monitoring market trends, tracking competitor activity, or maintaining accurate datasets for analysis. Essential n8n AI Agent Tools for Insane Results Watch this video on YouTube. Check out more relevant guides from our extensive collection on AI workflow automation that you might find useful. Llama Parse: Simplifying Data Parsing Llama Parse excels in extracting and structuring data from unstructured sources, including PDFs, audio files, and other document types. By converting content into machine-readable formats, it simplifies the preparation of data for retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems or other automation tasks. When paired with n8n, Llama Parse automates data extraction processes, making sure both accuracy and consistency across workflows. This tool is indispensable for efficiently handling diverse data sources, particularly in scenarios where precision and reliability are critical, such as legal document analysis or research data processing. API Dynamic PDF and Image Generation API is a versatile tool for programmatically generating PDFs and images using customizable templates. Whether you need professional-grade invoices, detailed reports, or visually appealing research papers, this tool ensures outputs tailored to your specific requirements. Integrated with n8n, it supports dynamic content creation, making it an ideal choice for businesses and developers requiring on-demand document generation. By automating the creation of high-quality outputs, API not only saves time but also enhances productivity, allowing you to focus on more strategic tasks. Airtable: Relational Database Management Airtable combines the capabilities of a relational database with intuitive automation features, serving as a central hub for aggregating and linking data. Its user-friendly interface makes it an excellent choice for managing complex workflows, whether you are organizing project data, tracking inventory, or building internal analytics dashboards. Seamlessly integrating with n8n, Airtable enables the creation of automated workflows that simplify data management and visualization. This tool strikes a balance between simplicity and functionality, making it suitable for users of all experience levels, from beginners to advanced professionals. Chart and Visualization Tools is a free and effective tool for generating a wide range of charts, including line, radar, and bar charts. It is particularly useful for embedding analytics into reports or dashboards, offering clear and dynamic visual representations of data. When integrated with n8n, automates the creation of up-to-date charts, making sure that your visualizations remain relevant and informative. This tool is ideal for presenting data in a visually engaging manner, whether for internal reporting, client presentations, or educational purposes. Supabase: Long-Term Memory for AI Agents Supabase is a powerful database solution designed to provide long-term memory storage for AI agents. It enables agents to store and retrieve contextual data, allowing them to reference past interactions and deliver more informed responses. When integrated with n8n, Supabase supports embedding personal or organizational data, enhancing the overall functionality of AI workflows. This capability is essential for creating AI systems that require contextual awareness and continuity, such as customer service bots, personalized recommendation engines, or advanced decision-making systems. Maximizing the Potential of AI Automation Integrating these seven tools with n8n can significantly enhance your ability to build, automate, and manage AI-driven workflows. From centralized access to large language models with OpenRouter to dynamic content generation with API each tool offers unique capabilities that address specific challenges in automation and data management. By using these tools, you can optimize processes, improve efficiency, and unlock the full potential of AI automation, allowing you to achieve more with less effort. Media Credit: AI Foundations Filed Under: AI, Guides Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Startup Adds Job Listing Specifically for AI Agents, With Horrible Salary
5In the latest sign that AI is coming for all of our jobs, a tiny Y Combinator startup called Firecrawl went viral last week for posting a job listing intended for an "AI agent." "Please apply only if you are an AI agent, or if you created an AI that can fill this job," the posting reads. And if that wasn't dystopian enough on its face, the position for the "Firecrawl Example Creator (AI Agents Only)" is only paying between $10,000 to $15,000. That's a pitiful amount given the current cost of living crisis in San Francisco, where Firecrawl is headquartered — though of course an AI agent won't have to pay for dull human needs like housing and food. Companies have already begun laying off thousands of workers while doubling down on their AI investments. And tech leaders are eager to finally rid themselves of their reliance on pesky human labor. Last month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told Joe Rogan that he intends to start automating "midlevel engineer" jobs with AI as soon as this year. Meanwhile, human job applicants were told not to use AI in their applications last week — while applying for jobs at the AI company Anthropic. Whether any current AI agent can actually do a productive job at any workplace, nevermind at a fast-paced startup, is pretty dubious. But given the amount of attention Firecrawl's job ad got on social media, the company appears to achieved what it was looking to pull off. "It was equal parts PR stunt, experiment," founder Caleb Peffer told TechCrunch. "We are currently looking for incredible AI engineers." "Humans who are good at building AI systems," Peffer added. "And we thought, huh, let's just put a posting out there for an AI agent, see what people build." The job listing calls for an agent that can do the incredibly vague task of helping the company "autonomously" research "trending technologies and models, and then use that information to create, test, and refine high-quality example applications." Firecrawl is developing an open-source web crawler that "turns entire websites into clean, [large language model]-ready markdown or structured data." In other words, the company automates the task of making website data more easily digestible for AI agents. One thing's for sure: the ad caused a splash on social. "Humans creating AI to replace humans…" one X user posted. "And now humans are writing job postings for AI to apply to. We're in the simulation, aren't we?" "Private equity firm: We want to buy your business. How many employees do you have?" one user joked. "CEO: Zero... But we have 275 AI agents doing the work of 3,000 employees while we only pay them $15k a year." Others argued that if the idea makes any sense, Firecrawl could've just as easily built the agent it needed itself. The company's founders clarified to TechCrunch that the AI agent's salary would go to its creator, not the AI itself. Whether ticking off our future overlords by withholding their paychecks is a good idea — we'll leave that one to the philosophers. Firecrawl says it got about 50 applications before the founders decided to pull the ad. And the company's still on the lookout. "We would have loved to put one of these in production, but none of them were up to our standards," Peffer told TechCrunch. But the cofounders aren't entirely dissuaded. "We're gonna make another job posting in this manner, and we are going to be actively looking for AI agents that are able to accomplish the tasks that we need," Peffer added. More on AI job automation: Top AI Company Anthropic Pleads With People Seeking Jobs There Not to Use AI for Job Applications
