Does not saying what we do reduce the chances that you'd apply?
Reduce? Try "eliminate." I would never bother applying to a company where I don't even know what they're building.
If you're that alpha/stealth, you'll probably fare better recruiting locally through referrals from friends / colleagues / former co-workers / local user groups / etc.
Really? I'll happily spill the beans during an interview, I just don't want to post it out there just yet (we're barely getting started). Maybe I should reconsider that?
That's nice, but what's the incentive for people to come interview with you, just to find out what you're doing? Like others have said, you don't have to give away deep, deep details, but you need to at least give an abstract description of what you're doing.
I just don't want to post it out there just yet (we're barely getting started).
I think you're worrying about this WAY too much. It's not like there's a gaggle of idea-starved hackers sitting around watching your job postings, just waiting for a chance to jump on your brilliant idea, execute it better than you, and steal your market from you. Somebody - I'm thinking Steve Blank, but don't quote me on this - said something like "If your idea is any good, you'll have to beat people over the head to get them to go along with it." I'd take that to heart if it were me. <shrug />
But if you really want to stay stealth, why not stick to recruiting locally through trusted connections? What you're trying to do here seems almost like a fundamental contradiction. "Advertise widely, but keep everything a secret." I'm having a hard time seeing how that's going to work.
Well, I can only speak for myself, but I care much more about the problems I'll be solving than I do about the tech I'll be using. CRUD is CRUD whether it's written in FORTRAN or Lisp. It's kind of the bartonfink corollary to Turing-completeness. You can theoretically solve any kind of problem with any language, so unless you want me to write in something that would add no value to my resume (e.g. COBOL) I'm going to consider what you're doing much more than how you're doing it.
You say that you've got reasons for not telling the world, and I understand that. However, right now your ad seems to say "Hey, we're using a bunch of new technology to do something. Send us a resume!" Even changing the first paragraph to end "... to design scalable, distributed applications for robotic dental hygiene" gives me an idea about what I'd be working on (robots with floss) and hopefully doesn't give away too much of your stealth edge.
As for my application, I am expecting a baby in a little under two months and don't plan on switching jobs at the moment. I am always looking for interesting "5 to 9" work to complement my "9 to 5" and if you can accommodate that I'd love to talk to you. All that is to say that there are other factors at work besides your ad that keep me from applying at the moment.
Does not saying what we do reduce the chances that you'd apply?