Puzzle Solver (Coding)

What you'll do

You work through technical challenges that a frontier AI model is meant to find hard. A typical task drops you into an unfamiliar codebase or terminal environment with a precise objective; you work out what is actually being asked, pick the right algorithm or data structure, implement it, test it against constraints that may be explicit or hidden, and deliver a result someone else can reproduce exactly.

The tasks mix pure algorithmic reasoning with practical debugging, so it is closer to a contest round run inside a real repository than to a LeetCode grind. Your solutions become part of how the customer measures and trains model capability.

Who fits

• A Codeforces profile (the ad lists it as a must, and later as a nice-to-have if it is public or verifiable, so expect it to be checked)
• A solid grip on common data structures and algorithms
• Careful reasoning about complexity, edge cases and correctness
• Experience debugging unfamiliar code or untangling ambiguous technical problems
• Python and C++ are the two named skills

No degree or years of experience are stated. This is a skills-first listing: your contest record does most of the talking.

What it pays

micro1 publishes $60–120/hour, but compensation is output-based: you are paid per task that meets the project specification, and minimum submission requirements apply without being quantified. Time per task depends on your speed and workflow, so the band is a target rather than a guaranteed hourly rate. Strong competitive programmers who are quick to orient in a new environment will land nearer the top.

How you get hired

Screening questions, an AI interview of about 30 minutes, then a hiring manager review. micro1 says it usually fills roles within 48 hours and expects your first task within 24 to 48 hours of onboarding.

Worth knowing

Good:

• 100 openings, flagged high demand
• Open globally, fully remote
• Flexible hours, weekends included, at roughly 15 hours a week
• A $60 floor is high for task-based coding work

Less good:

• Per-task pay with an unstated minimum; work that misses the spec earns nothing
• Hidden constraints mean a solution that looks right can still fail
• Without a Codeforces track record you are unlikely to get through
• Contractor engagement: no benefits, your own tax to manage

About this listing

Posted by micro1 on its own jobs portal; we read the ad on 18 October 2026. The $60–120/hour band, 100 openings, 15-hour weekly guide and per-task terms are its published text. The ad's location is "Global, fully remote", so we have left eligibility open. The customer is not named. See micro1.