Abnormal AI

Software Engineer 2 Interview Experience

June 12, 2024

Positive ExperienceNo Offer

Process

I applied online.

Had the first online assessment. Needed to do using Python. Completed this successfully (cleared this round) but didn't proceed with the next round because the openings were closed. Recruiter mentioned that they would hire for a different team (which is new) after they hire a tech lead, but didn't hear back later.

Questions

The assessment had one real-world coding challenge that needed to be done using Python (not focused on DSA).

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Interview Statistics

The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Abnormal AI Software Engineer 2 role.

Success Rate

0%

Pass Rate

Abnormal AI's interview process for their Software Engineer 2 roles is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.

Experience Rating

Positive100%

Neutral0%

Negative0%

Candidates reported having very good feelings for Abnormal AI's Software Engineer 2 interview process.

Abnormal AI Work Experiences

Awesome Place to Work

Software Engineer 2 • Current Employee

Pros: Very smart folks who are working here, and lots to learn.

Cons: Cliche long startup hours that can be tough

Awesome Place to Work

Software Engineer 2 • Current Employee

Pros: Very smart folks who are working here, and lots to learn.

Cons: Cliche long startup hours that can be tough

Great company with interesting problems!

Software Engineer • Current Employee

Pros: Very interesting problems to solve; some of the most interesting cyber security problems that exist. Really smart people to work with who are very motivated. Business is growing very strong even in this economy; product market fit is super strong.

Cons: Experiencing growing pains as the company matures, which is reflected in process changes, reorgs, etc. A lot of top-down initiatives that occur, but the company is making an effort to let EPD have more bottom-up projects.

Great company with interesting problems!

Software Engineer • Current Employee

Pros: Very interesting problems to solve; some of the most interesting cyber security problems that exist. Really smart people to work with who are very motivated. Business is growing very strong even in this economy; product market fit is super strong.

Cons: Experiencing growing pains as the company matures, which is reflected in process changes, reorgs, etc. A lot of top-down initiatives that occur, but the company is making an effort to let EPD have more bottom-up projects.

Ownership and growth opportunities come with trade-offs

Engineering Manager • Current Employee

Pros: - High level of ownership: the eng team runs pretty lean considering the size and scale of the company, which means that there is never a lack of scope for you to own. I don't think my teams have ever worked on something that wasn't impactful and meaningful for the company. - Strong teammates: a side effect of high ownership is the hiring of strong individuals who feel a strong sense of pride in their craft and what they work on. What you get is a group of driven and sharp engineers. - Leadership visibility = more opportunities for growth: the company places a strong focus on rewarding high performers with more opportunities for growth. Regular internal talent reviews mean that we're always asking how we can put strong engineers in positions to continue growing and building their skills to succeed in their role. - AI enablement: Abnormal is investing heavily in its employees and how we can use AI more. It's not just a "use more AI mandate", but rather intentional ways to enable the team and deliver tangible impact through AI usage.

Cons: - Running lean can be a double-edged sword: sometimes that can mean more work that needs to be done than the bandwidth available to do it, which creates difficult prioritization exercises and careful tradeoff considerations. - Slow payment of tech debt: one of the side effects of moving quickly (especially in the earlier years of the company) is the accumulation of tech debt. I think teams are given a good amount of leeway to help pay this down, but it sometimes falls in the priority ladder when we need to build something new to match a competitor.

Ownership and growth opportunities come with trade-offs

Engineering Manager • Current Employee

Pros: - High level of ownership: the eng team runs pretty lean considering the size and scale of the company, which means that there is never a lack of scope for you to own. I don't think my teams have ever worked on something that wasn't impactful and meaningful for the company. - Strong teammates: a side effect of high ownership is the hiring of strong individuals who feel a strong sense of pride in their craft and what they work on. What you get is a group of driven and sharp engineers. - Leadership visibility = more opportunities for growth: the company places a strong focus on rewarding high performers with more opportunities for growth. Regular internal talent reviews mean that we're always asking how we can put strong engineers in positions to continue growing and building their skills to succeed in their role. - AI enablement: Abnormal is investing heavily in its employees and how we can use AI more. It's not just a "use more AI mandate", but rather intentional ways to enable the team and deliver tangible impact through AI usage.

Cons: - Running lean can be a double-edged sword: sometimes that can mean more work that needs to be done than the bandwidth available to do it, which creates difficult prioritization exercises and careful tradeoff considerations. - Slow payment of tech debt: one of the side effects of moving quickly (especially in the earlier years of the company) is the accumulation of tech debt. I think teams are given a good amount of leeway to help pay this down, but it sometimes falls in the priority ladder when we need to build something new to match a competitor.

Awesome Place to Work

Software Engineer 2 • Current Employee

Pros: Very smart folks who are working here, and lots to learn.

Cons: Cliche long startup hours that can be tough

5.0
Awesome Place to Work
Software Engineer 2 • Current Employee
Austin, TX
May 23, 2023
Pros: Very smart folks who are working here, and lots to learn.
Cons: Cliche long startup hours that can be tough

Great company with interesting problems!

Software Engineer • Current Employee

Pros: Very interesting problems to solve; some of the most interesting cyber security problems that exist. Really smart people to work with who are very motivated. Business is growing very strong even in this economy; product market fit is super strong.

Cons: Experiencing growing pains as the company matures, which is reflected in process changes, reorgs, etc. A lot of top-down initiatives that occur, but the company is making an effort to let EPD have more bottom-up projects.

5.0
Great company with interesting problems!
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Seattle, WA
March 27, 2023
Pros: Very interesting problems to solve; some of the most interesting cyber security problems that exist. Really smart people to work with who are very motivated. Business is growing very strong even in this economy; product market fit is super strong.
Cons: Experiencing growing pains as the company matures, which is reflected in process changes, reorgs, etc. A lot of top-down initiatives that occur, but the company is making an effort to let EPD have more bottom-up projects.

Ownership and growth opportunities come with trade-offs

Engineering Manager • Current Employee

Pros: - High level of ownership: the eng team runs pretty lean considering the size and scale of the company, which means that there is never a lack of scope for you to own. I don't think my teams have ever worked on something that wasn't impactful and meaningful for the company. - Strong teammates: a side effect of high ownership is the hiring of strong individuals who feel a strong sense of pride in their craft and what they work on. What you get is a group of driven and sharp engineers. - Leadership visibility = more opportunities for growth: the company places a strong focus on rewarding high performers with more opportunities for growth. Regular internal talent reviews mean that we're always asking how we can put strong engineers in positions to continue growing and building their skills to succeed in their role. - AI enablement: Abnormal is investing heavily in its employees and how we can use AI more. It's not just a "use more AI mandate", but rather intentional ways to enable the team and deliver tangible impact through AI usage.

Cons: - Running lean can be a double-edged sword: sometimes that can mean more work that needs to be done than the bandwidth available to do it, which creates difficult prioritization exercises and careful tradeoff considerations. - Slow payment of tech debt: one of the side effects of moving quickly (especially in the earlier years of the company) is the accumulation of tech debt. I think teams are given a good amount of leeway to help pay this down, but it sometimes falls in the priority ladder when we need to build something new to match a competitor.

5.0
Ownership and growth opportunities come with trade-offs
Engineering Manager • Current Employee
June 15, 2026
Pros: - High level of ownership: the eng team runs pretty lean considering the size and scale of the company, which means that there is never a lack of scope for you to own. I don't think my teams have ever worked on something that wasn't impactful and meaningful for the company. - Strong teammates: a side effect of high ownership is the hiring of strong individuals who feel a strong sense of pride in their craft and what they work on. What you get is a group of driven and sharp engineers. - Leadership visibility = more opportunities for growth: the company places a strong focus on rewarding high performers with more opportunities for growth. Regular internal talent reviews mean that we're always asking how we can put strong engineers in positions to continue growing and building their skills to succeed in their role. - AI enablement: Abnormal is investing heavily in its employees and how we can use AI more. It's not just a "use more AI mandate", but rather intentional ways to enable the team and deliver tangible impact through AI usage.
Cons: - Running lean can be a double-edged sword: sometimes that can mean more work that needs to be done than the bandwidth available to do it, which creates difficult prioritization exercises and careful tradeoff considerations. - Slow payment of tech debt: one of the side effects of moving quickly (especially in the earlier years of the company) is the accumulation of tech debt. I think teams are given a good amount of leeway to help pay this down, but it sometimes falls in the priority ladder when we need to build something new to match a competitor.

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