Hiring freezes make the headlines. But when you look at where companies are actually investing, developers remain a priority.
It's true that many high-profile firms have scaled back headcount over the last two years, often targeting recruiting, HR, and non-technical roles. While overall tech employment has cooled compared to the 2021–2022 boom, engineering demand hasn't disappeared.
What’s happening in the tech world in 2025 is a more selective kind of growth. Companies are opening new roles in areas tied to revenue and innovation, especially in artificial intelligence, data infrastructure, and cloud services. Instead of hiring in bulk across every department, firms are channeling resources into specialized developer positions.
Here are the top companies actively hiring developers this year, plus the roles they’re prioritizing:
OpenAI
OpenAI is one of the most visible players in the AI boom. Known for ChatGPT and its developer APIs, the company continues to grow its global footprint with new offices and expanded enterprise partnerships. See available engineering positions at OpenAI.
Hiring focus areas
- Research Engineer, Applied AI
- Research Engineer (general)
- Full-Stack Software Engineer, Research Team
- Analytics Data Engineer, Applied Engineering
- Software Engineer, Real-Time
- Software Engineer, Observability
Anthropic
Anthropic is on a mission to build safe, aligned AI systems. With a research-driven culture and a mission-first approach, the company is expanding engineering teams to meet the demand for trustworthy models. See available engineering positions at Anthropic.
Hiring focus areas
- Research Engineer, Deep Learning
- Research Engineer, Safety
- Systems Engineer, Infrastructure
- Product Engineer, Applied AI
- Security Engineer
Microsoft (AI Teams)
Microsoft is embedding AI across its product ecosystem, from enterprise tools like Office to cloud platforms like Azure. The company has reorganized development teams to prioritize AI integration and continues to grow its research groups worldwide. Roles can be performed remotely. See available engineering positions at Microsoft.
Hiring focus areas
- Software Engineer, Azure Machine Learning
- Senior Software Engineer, AI Platform
- Software Engineer, AI Tooling
Google continues to prioritize engineering talent through 2026, with major investments in Google Cloud, DeepMind, and AI-driven products. Roles are spread across global hubs in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. See available Google positions.
Hiring focus areas
- Site Reliability Engineer
- ML Engineer, Applied AI
- Cloud and Distributed Systems Engineer
- Research Scientist, AI
- Backend Engineer, Search Infrastructure
Snowflake
Snowflake has established itself as a leader in the data cloud and is expanding into AI-native applications. The company's hiring push reflects demand for scalable infrastructure and security. See available engineering positions at Snowflake.
Hiring focus areas
- Software Engineer, Data Cloud
- ML Engineer, AI Research
- Security Engineer, Platform
- Analytics Engineer
- Distributed Systems Engineer
Databricks
Databricks supports enterprise AI and machine learning pipelines with its data platform. The company is expanding its teams globally at both entry and senior levels. See available engineering positions at Databricks.
Hiring focus areas
- Software Engineer, New Grad
- Software Engineer, Back-end (Developer Tools)
- Staff Software Engineer, Observability Platform
- Engineering Manager
- GenAI Engineer
NVIDIA
NVIDIA powers much of the AI ecosystem with GPUs and developer platforms like CUDA. The company continues to scale engineering teams in both software and research roles. See available engineering positions at NVIDIA.
Hiring focus areas
- GPU Software Engineer
- Senior AI and LLM Solutions Software Engineer
- Research Scientist, Machine Learning
- Systems Software Engineer
- Developer Relations Engineer
- Early Career Developers and Interns
Point72
Point72, a global hedge fund, is building out its technology arm to support data-driven trading and analytics. In 2025, the company announced a new engineering hub in Bengaluru, India, adding to its existing offices across the U.S. and Europe. See available engineering positions at Point72.
Hiring focus areas
- Data Engineer
- Systems Engineer
- DevOps Engineer
- Machine Learning Engineer
- Talent Management Analyst
IBM
IBM continues to expand its Watsonx AI platform, hybrid cloud services, and emerging technologies like quantum computing. The company's engineering hires focus on AI, cloud, and security. See available engineering positions at IBM.
Hiring focus areas
- AI Engineer, Watsonx
- Cloud Data Engineer
- Security Engineer, DevSecOps
- Research Scientist, Quantum Computing
- UX Engineer
Major Banks (Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo)
Large banks — including Bank of America, U.S. Bank, Truist, JPMorganChase, and HSBC — remain steady recruiters of developers, using tech hires to modernize platforms and enhance security. Hiring spans U.S. and global offices.
Hiring focus areas
- Software Developer, Digital Banking
- AI Engineer, Fraud Detection
- Cybersecurity Engineer
- Cloud Engineer
- Data Engineer, Risk Analytics
xAI
Founded by Elon Musk, xAI is hiring developers to build frontier AI models and products. As a younger company, the business offers opportunities to work on early-stage infrastructure and deployment. See available engineering positions at xAI.
Hiring focus areas
- Machine Learning Engineer
- Software Engineer, Backend Systems
- Applied Scientist, Model Deployment
- Infrastructure Engineer
Why developers still matter
Even with slower hiring overall, developer roles remain central to company strategy in 2025. Here's why developers still matter in 2025 and beyond:
AI and infrastructure
New models and tools make the news, but developers make them usable. Devs build the pipelines that train models, embed them into products, and keep systems running at scale. Without that foundation, AI is just research.
Human oversight
Automation can’t replace judgment. Developers provide the checks that keep systems safe and reliable, spotting errors, preventing misuse, and aligning outputs with business needs.
Soft skills
Engineering is collaborative work. Clear communication, problem-solving, and teamwork often determine whether projects succeed as much as technical ability does (if not more).
Tips for landing a developer job in 2025
The hiring market may be more selective, but opportunities for developers are still strong. Here are a few ways to stay competitive:
Highlight AI and infrastructure skills
Employers want devs who understand machine learning workflows, large-scale data systems, and cloud-native infrastructure. Even basic familiarity with AI model deployment or distributed systems can give you an edge.
Use AI tools wisely
AI assistants can speed up coding, testing, and debugging. Show that you know how to use AI tools effectively while applying human judgment to review outputs.
Showcase soft skills
Technical ability gets you noticed, but collaboration, problem-solving, and clear communication close the deal. Companies value developers who can explain complex concepts, work across time zones, and adapt quickly on distributed teams.
Build a global mindset
International collaboration is now standard. Demonstrating experience working with global teams — or even just fluency in tools like Slack, Jira, and GitHub for async collaboration — signals that you’re ready for the realities of modern engineering work.
Keep your portfolio fresh
Maintain a portfolio with recent projects or code samples. Active GitHub contributions or technical blogs help you stand out.