A weird message by a job recruiter

Question

I received a message by a recruiter:

Hello,

I hope this message finds you well. I am a recruiter at [REDACTED]. I came across your profile and was impressed by your background and work history. We are currently looking for talented professionals like you to join our dynamic team. I would be happy to arrange a call to explore your career aspirations further and discuss how your contributions could advance our mission of delivering cutting-edge solutions to millions of people!

In the heart of an ancient civilization, now lost to time, stood a towering pyramid — a testament to the power and mystery of its people. The pyramid was the focal point of the grid-based city, an immense structure made of massive stone blocks, precisely aligned with the heavens.

Now, many generations later, only ruins remain, eroded by centuries of weather and overgrowth. But legends still whisper of a hidden chamber within the pyramid, a place said to house a secret treasure of infinite value. Some believe it was a repository of forbidden knowledge of life; others, a vault of gemstones and precious metals.

You will know once you are done. We will contact you once you succeed.

Is this the next Cicada 3301? Is this a recruitment tool for a NSA-CIA-MI6-Masonic-Illuminati-Hacker?!?!?!?

What are they recruiting for?

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Transcription of pixels:

#F24D2A #F23DA2 #DAF15D #A2F17D #A2DA6D #A2DAF1 #2DAD2A #DA5D2A #F9D2A2 #D2ADA4 #DA4D2A #DA2D2A #2D2AF1 #0D2A4D #A3DA2D #A13DAF #12D3A2 #DADA2D #A6D3A2 #D2AD2A #F10DA2 #D2A2DA #8DA5DA #4DA2DA #F10D2A #8D3ADA #DAD2A2 #D2A2DA #D2AF9D #ADA2DA #4DA4D4 #A9D2A4 #DAF7DA #4DA6D2 #A3DADA #2D3ADA #4DA2DA #DAF3DA #2DA2D3 #A9D2A3 #DAD2A2 #DA4D2A #F5D2A3 #DADAD2 #A2D3AD #ADA6D2 #ADA4D3 #ADAF9D #2AD2AD #3A2DA2 #DAD2AD #A5D2A2 #DAF5DA #6DADA6 #DADAD3 #ADA6D5 #ADAF4D #2A3D2A #10DA2D #3ADAD2 #AD3A6D #AFDA4D #ADADA8 #D2A2D4 #ADA6DA #2DAF4D #A6DADA #4DA2D3 #A2D2A7 #DA3DA2 #DAFDA1 #2DAD3A #3DADAD #2A5DA4 #DAFDA1 #3D2ADA #2DADA2 #DA3DA3 #DADADA #DAF8D2 #AD2AD2 #ADAD2A #2DA3DA #7DA3DA #FDA6D3 #AD2A2D #A6D5AD #A5DADA #DAF4DA #3DA5DA #3D3A3D #2A9DAF #7DA5DA #2D3AD2 #A3D4A3 #D2A4DA #DAF8DA #DA2DAD #2A2DAD #4AD2A2 #D2ADAD #ADAD2A #F5DA4D #2A5D2A #DA2DAD #3A5D2A #4DA2DA #F7DADA #2DA3DA #5DADAD #2ADA2D #A2DA2D #2ADAF9 #D3A7D2 #ADADA3 #D2A5DA #DAF7D3 #A3DA2D #3A7DA4 #D4A3DA #F10DA2 #DAD3AD #A3DAD4 #AF8DAD #3A2D2A #D2AD2A #D2A2DA #DA3DAF #7DA3DA #DADAD2 #A3D2A3 #DA2DAD #3ADAF6 #DADA3D #AD2A3D #4A4DA6 #DA2DAF #10DAD2 #A2D2A2 #DADA4D #A4DADA #3DADAF #7DA4DA #3DA3DA #3DA3DA #4DADAF #15DA3D #A4DA2D #2ADA2D #AD2A3D #AF10DA #7DADA2 #DA3DAF #11DA5D #A4D2AD #AD2A2D #A4DAF1 #0D2A2D #ADA6DA #D2AD2A #F20DA4 #DA2DAD #AF26D2 #AF11DA #2DA5DA #5DAF16 #DAE000

Assistance:

If you know what the image really represents but don't know how to do what it tells you without having to do significant work yourself, go to vigenere(cumjwyaz, KEY).com, where KEY is the "long" version.

Hint 1:

The knowledge is computer science related. In fact, PSE has a specific tag for it that I've decided not to include!

As for the hex values: Frequency analysis might point you in the right direction.

Hint 2:

To see the pyramid as it once was, you will need to go back in time, generation after generation, starting with the ruins of the grid-based city which are encoded in the hex values.

Hint 3:

cellular-automata

Answer 1

The recruiter is recruiting for the

2024 PSE Advent Calendar.

The hex colours represented in the coloured pixels are the top of the image are actually

a grid of cells in the well-known reversible block cellular automaton Critters, compressed using run-length encoding. This was hinted at with the mention of "generations" and "grids", as well as the mention of "life" potentially being a reference to Conway's Game of Life, the most well-known cellular automaton and one that Wikipedia describes Critters as being similar to, or the alive/dead distinction for grid cells they share.

Taking out the spaces and hashtags (and the 000 padding at the end) reveals the following string of continuous text:

F24D2AF23DA2DAF15DA2F17DA2DA6DA2DAF12DAD2ADA5D2AF9D2A2D2ADA4DA4D2ADA2D2A2D2AF10D2A4DA3DA2DA13DAF12D3A2DADA2DA6D3A2D2AD2AF10DA2D2A2DA8DA5DA4DA2DAF10D2A8D3ADADAD2A2D2A2DAD2AF9DADA2DA4DA4D4A9D2A4DAF7DA4DA6D2A3DADA2D3ADA4DA2DADAF3DA2DA2D3A9D2A3DAD2A2DA4D2AF5D2A3DADAD2A2D3ADADA6D2ADA4D3ADAF9D2AD2AD3A2DA2DAD2ADA5D2A2DAF5DA6DADA6DADAD3ADA6D5ADAF4D2A3D2A10DA2D3ADAD2AD3A6DAFDA4DADADA8D2A2D4ADA6DA2DAF4DA6DADA4DA2D3A2D2A7DA3DA2DAFDA12DAD3A3DADAD2A5DA4DAFDA13D2ADA2DADA2DA3DA3DADADADAF8D2AD2AD2ADAD2A2DA3DA7DA3DAFDA6D3AD2A2DA6D5ADA5DADADAF4DA3DA5DA3D3A3D2A9DAF7DA5DA2D3AD2A3D4A3D2A4DADAF8DADA2DAD2A2DAD4AD2A2D2ADADADAD2AF5DA4D2A5D2ADA2DAD3A5D2A4DA2DAF7DADA2DA3DA5DADAD2ADA2DA2DA2D2ADAF9D3A7D2ADADA3D2A5DADAF7D3A3DA2D3A7DA4D4A3DAF10DA2DAD3ADA3DAD4AF8DAD3A2D2AD2AD2AD2A2DADA3DAF7DA3DADADAD2A3D2A3DA2DAD3ADAF6DADA3DAD2A3D4A4DA6DA2DAF10DAD2A2D2A2DADA4DA4DADA3DADAF7DA4DA3DA3DA3DA3DA4DADAF15DA3DA4DA2D2ADA2DAD2A3DAF10DA7DADA2DA3DAF11DA5DA4D2ADAD2A2DA4DAF10D2A2DADA6DAD2AD2AF20DA4DA2DADAF26D2AF11DA2DA5DA5DAF16DAE

This is actually a modified version of

the run-length encoding format used in cellular automata, specifically with the $ end-of-line symbol replaced by F, ! representing the end of the file replaced with E, b representing (d)ead cells replaced with D, and o representing (a)live cells replaced with A.

We can simulate this

cellular automaton in reverse using LifeViewer and the following input:

x = 0, y = 0, rule = critters
$24b2o$23bo2bo$15bo2$17bo2bo6bo2bo$12bob2obo5b2o$9b2o2b2obo4bo4b2obo2b2o2b2o$10b2o4bo3bo2bo13bo$12b3o2bobo2bo6b3o2b2ob2o$10bo2b2o2bo8bo5bo4bo2bo$10b2o8b3obobob2o2b2o2bob2o$9bobo2bo4bo4b4o9b2o4bo$7bo4bo6b2o3bobo2b3obo4bo2bobo$3bo2bo2b3o9b2o3bob2o2bo4b2o$5b2o3bobob2o2b3obobo6b2obo4b3obo$9b2ob2ob3o2bo2bob2obo5b2o2bo$5bo6bobo6bobob3obo6b5obo$4b2o3b2o10bo2b3obob2ob3o6bo$bo4bobobo8b2o2b4obo6bo2bo$4bo6bobo4bo2b3o2b2o7bo3bo2bo$bo12bob3o3bobob2o5bo4bo$bo13b2obo2bobo2bo3bo3bobobobo$8b2ob2ob2obob2o2bo3bo7bo3bo$bo6b3ob2o2bo6b5obo5bobobo$4bo3bo5bo3b3o3b2o9bo$7bo5bo2b3ob2o3b4o3b2o4bobo$8bobo2bob2o2bob4ob2o2b2obobobob2o$5bo4b2o5b2obo2bob3o5b2o4bo2bo$7bobo2bo3bo5bobob2obo2bo2bo2b2obo$9b3o7b2obobo3b2o5bobo$7b3o3bo2b3o7bo4b4o3bo$10bo2bob3obo3bob4o$8bob3o2b2ob2ob2ob2o2bobo3bo$7bo3bobobob2o3b2o3bo2bob3obo$6bobo3bob2o3b4o4bo6bo2bo$10bob2o2b2o2bobo4bo4bobo3bobo$7bo4bo3bo3bo3bo3bo4bobo$15bo3bo4bo2b2obo2bob2o3bo$10bo7bobo2bo3bo$11bo5bo4b2obob2o2bo4bo$10b2o2bobo6bob2ob2o$20bo4bo2bobo$26b2o$11bo2bo5bo5bo$16bo!

Using the website to

step back (suggested by the talk of "time" and "now" being "generations later") to generation T-38 reveals a scannable Aztec barcode:

As Wikipedia mentions, this type of barcode features a square grid and a locator symbol in the centre, and is named due to the symbol's resemblance to Aztec pyramids.

Scanning this barcode gives us the URL

https://puzzling.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/7612/puzzling-advent-calendar-2024, the 2024 PSE Advent Calendar.

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EDIT: After finishing this answer, I finally figured out what the Assistance section is referring to:

Guessing that the domain it references is lazyslug.com, I decoded cumjwyaz with lazyslug as the key to find the original key, runlengt, presumably meant to be obtained from "run-length encoding".