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Salary: USD 180,000 - 200,000 / annual
Y Combinator's Media team is seeking an Editorial Researcher to create content for audiences interested in startups, technology, AI, science, and the future. The role spans multiple formats: videos, podcasts, essays, original research, and experimental editorial projects.
You will research and write content, develop ideas for videos and podcasts, analyze data to uncover trends about startups and founders, identify emerging people and projects before mainstream coverage, and help shape YC's editorial strategy. The work involves collaborating directly with YC partners and founders, translating complex technical subjects into clear and engaging narratives, and experimenting with new storytelling formats.
Key responsibilities include:
- Research, write, and edit YC's written content across multiple platforms
- Develop ideas and conduct research for videos, podcasts, interviews, and other media
- Partner with YC partners, founders, and the Media team to execute editorial projects
- Analyze data to identify surprising trends in startups, technology, and founder behavior
- Scout interesting people, projects, research papers, companies, and ideas early
- Contribute to YC's editorial direction and coverage strategy
- Simplify complicated technical subjects while maintaining accuracy and interest
- Pilot new editorial formats and storytelling approaches
The role requires someone unusually curious, technically inclined, and an excellent writer who can understand complex ideas, identify what makes them interesting, and explain them clearly without oversimplification.
Qualifications:
- Deep curiosity about technology and understanding of startup, AI, engineering, and internet culture
- Excellent writing and editing skills; ability to make complex topics accessible without dumbing them down
- Technical fluency sufficient to communicate with engineers and researchers
- Comfort with research methods: reading papers, analyzing datasets, interviewing experts, independent investigation
- Strong editorial judgment to distinguish genuinely interesting ideas from merely popular ones
- Ability to work across multiple content formats (written, video, audio, data visualization, experimental)
- Opinionated perspective on media and the internet with instincts for what informed audiences want
- Self-directed; ability to identify and develop stories independently
- Background may vary: engineers who write, developer relations professionals, technical journalists, data journalists, researchers, former founders, or think tank experience all considered. Emphasis on thinking, writing quality, and demonstrated work over previous title.
