I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Airbnb in May 2024
Interview
Horrible experience. I did well in all coding and system design rounds. but they rejected me as I could not write some spring boot code.
1. DSA round - top k with priority queue
2. DSA round - Nested Integers, LLD code for a robot for home appliance system(easy)
3. System Design - distributed counter
4. Java framework (write a spring boot code)
5. Hiring manager - past work and aspirations
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Airbnb (Portland, OR) in Mar 2024
Interview
The interview process at Airbnb for a Staff Software Engineer role was structured but fair. It started with a recruiter screen focused on background and motivations, followed by a technical phone screen with coding and system design questions. Onsite consisted of four rounds: deep system design, coding, behavioral, and a cross-functional collaboration interview. The technical questions emphasized scalability and real-world trade-offs, not just algorithms. Behavioral questions leaned heavily on Airbnb’s core values and past leadership experiences. Communication and clarity were just as important as coding skills. Overall, the process felt thorough, transparent, and aligned with Airbnb’s culture.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
They asked me to design a scalable service for handling millions of real-time booking requests and explain trade-offs.
