Scale Engineer

Senior Software Engineer

Software EngineerG9Hard

The Senior Software Engineer (G9) interview process at Airbnb is designed to assess a candidate's technical expertise, problem-solving abilities, system design skills, and cultural fit. It typically involves multiple rounds, including technical interviews, a system design interview, and a behavioral/leadership interview. The process emphasizes practical application of computer science fundamentals, experience with large-scale systems, and alignment with Airbnb's values.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~14d

Experience·5 - 10 yrs

Comp band·US$170000 - US$220000

Interview time·180 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Problem-solving approach and analytical skills
  • Data structures and algorithms proficiency
  • Coding proficiency and best practices
  • System design and architectural thinking
  • Scalability and performance considerations
  • Communication and collaboration skills
  • Leadership and mentorship potential
  • Cultural alignment with Airbnb values (e.g., Belong Anywhere, Champion the Mission, Embrace the Adventure, etc.)

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Review fundamental data structures and algorithms (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps, heaps, sorting, searching).
  2. Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or AlgoExpert, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
  3. Study system design principles, including scalability, availability, reliability, consistency, and common design patterns (e.g., load balancing, caching, databases, message queues).
  4. Prepare for behavioral questions by reflecting on your past experiences using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
  5. Understand Airbnb's business, products, and engineering culture.
  6. Research common interview questions for Senior Software Engineers at tech companies.
  7. Practice explaining your thought process clearly and concisely.
  8. Prepare questions to ask the interviewer about the role, team, and company.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04
01

Phase 01 of 04

Data Structures and Algorithms

Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Algorithms fundamentals. Practice 2-3 problems/day.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures and algorithms. Cover arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, trees (binary trees, BSTs, AVL trees), heaps, hash tables, and graphs. Practice implementing these structures and solving problems related to traversal, searching, and manipulation. Review common algorithms like sorting (quicksort, mergesort), searching (binary search), dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms. Aim for 2-3 coding problems per day.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Design a system to handle real-time pricing updates for Airbnb listings.
  • How would you implement a feature to suggest nearby activities to travelers?
  • Describe a time you had to debug a complex production issue.
  • What are the trade-offs between relational and NoSQL databases for a platform like Airbnb?
  • How do you ensure code quality and maintainability in a large codebase?
  • Tell me about a project where you had significant technical ownership.
  • How would you design a distributed caching layer for Airbnb's booking system?
  • What are your thoughts on microservices vs. a modular monolith?
  • Describe a situation where you had to influence a technical decision.
  • How do you stay up-to-date with new technologies and best practices?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 03 locations

01 / 03

Location

San Francisco

Interview focus

Deep dive into distributed systems and scalability challenges relevant to the local market.Understanding of local engineering practices and talent pool.Emphasis on collaboration and communication within regional teams.

Common questions

  • How would you design a real-time notification system for Airbnb?
  • Discuss a challenging technical problem you solved at scale.
  • Describe a time you had to influence a team to adopt a new technology.
  • How do you handle technical debt?
  • What are your thoughts on microservices vs. monoliths for a platform like Airbnb?

Tips

  • Research Airbnb's presence and engineering challenges in your specific region.
  • Be prepared to discuss how your experience aligns with the local team's focus.
  • Highlight any experience working with diverse, international teams if applicable.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

Expand a step for evaluation criteria, sample questions, and prep notes.

Hard

Data Structures And Algorithms Interview · 45 min · Software Engineer

This round focuses on your core computer science knowledge. You will be presented with 1-2 coding problems that require you to implement solutions using appropriate data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will assess your ability to understand the problem, devise an efficient solution, write clean and correct code, and analyze its time and space complexity. Expect questions that test your understanding of arrays, strings, trees, graphs, dynamic programming, and sorting/searching algorithms.

What they look for

Strong grasp of fundamental data structures and algorithmsAbility to translate requirements into working codeClean and efficient coding practicesLogical and systematic approach to problem-solving

Evaluation

  • Correctness of the solution
  • Efficiency of the algorithm (time and space complexity)
  • Code clarity, style, and maintainability
  • Ability to test the solution thoroughly
  • Problem-solving approach and communication

Sample questions

  • Given a list of user IDs and their corresponding booking IDs, find all users who have booked more than 5 times.

    ArrayHash MapCounting

  • Implement a function to find the lowest common ancestor of two nodes in a binary search tree.

    TreeRecursionBinary Search Tree

  • Given a string containing parentheses, determine if it is valid (e.g., '()[]{}' is valid, '([)]' is not).

    StackString Manipulation

Prep for this round

  1. 01Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
  2. 02Understand the time and space complexity of your solutions.
  3. 03Write clean, well-commented, and readable code.
  4. 04Be prepared to discuss trade-offs of different approaches.
  5. 05Practice explaining your thought process out loud.

Common rejection reasons

  • ×Inability to articulate thought process
  • ×Suboptimal algorithmic approach
  • ×Coding errors or inefficient solutions
  • ×Lack of understanding of time/space complexity

DSA

Coding questions at Airbnb.

Frequently reported on Airbnb loops

View all at Airbnb

Other guides

More at Airbnb.