Scale Engineer

Engineering Manager

Software Engineering ManagerM1Hard

The Software Engineering Manager (M1) interview at Airbnb is a comprehensive process designed to assess a candidate's leadership capabilities, technical depth, strategic thinking, and cultural fit. The M1 level requires a strong blend of people management, project execution, and technical guidance.

Rounds·5

Timeline·~21d

Experience·5 - 10 yrs

Comp band·US$180000 - US$250000

Interview time·270 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Leadership and people management skills
  • Technical acumen and architectural understanding
  • Strategic thinking and business impact
  • Communication and collaboration abilities
  • Problem-solving and decision-making
  • Cultural alignment with Airbnb's values (e.g., Belong Anywhere, Champion the Mission, Embrace the Mess)

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Thoroughly review Airbnb's mission, values, and engineering culture.
  2. Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions.
  3. Understand common software engineering challenges and best practices.
  4. Familiarize yourself with Airbnb's products and business model.
  5. Practice articulating your leadership philosophy and management style.
  6. Be ready to discuss your experience with scaling teams and managing complex projects.
  7. Research common interview questions for Engineering Managers at M1 level.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 05 phases

01 / 05
01

Phase 01 of 05

Company & Self-Assessment

Weeks 1-2: Airbnb culture, values, mission. STAR method prep.

Weeks 1-2: Deep dive into Airbnb's company culture, values, and recent engineering blog posts. Understand the company's mission and how engineering contributes to it. Review your own career history and identify key achievements and leadership experiences relevant to an M1 role. Start preparing STAR method examples for common leadership scenarios.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Tell me about a time you had to manage a conflict within your team. How did you resolve it?
  • Describe a project where you had to make a significant technical trade-off. What was your decision-making process?
  • How do you prioritize work for your team when faced with competing demands?
  • Walk me through your process for hiring and onboarding new engineers.
  • How do you foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement within your team?
  • Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
  • How do you measure the success of your team?
  • Describe your experience with agile methodologies and how you implement them.
  • How do you stay technically relevant as a manager?
  • What is your approach to performance management and career development for your team members?
  • Tell me about a time you had to influence stakeholders who disagreed with your team's technical direction.
  • How do you handle underperforming team members?
  • What are your thoughts on technical debt and how do you manage it?
  • Describe a time you had to lead your team through a significant change or challenge.

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 03 locations

01 / 03

Location

Remote/Distributed Teams

Interview focus

Remote team management strategiesCross-cultural communication and collaborationBuilding trust and engagement in a distributed environment

Common questions

  • How do you handle performance issues with a direct report in a remote setting?
  • Describe a time you had to adapt your leadership style for a geographically distributed team.
  • What are your strategies for fostering team cohesion and collaboration across different time zones?

Tips

  • Highlight experience with remote work tools and methodologies.
  • Provide specific examples of successfully managing distributed teams.
  • Emphasize your understanding of asynchronous communication best practices.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at Airbnb.

Frequently reported on Airbnb loops

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Other guides

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