Alibaba

Software Development Engineer Interview Experience - Beijing, Beijing

October 1, 2014

Neutral ExperienceNo Offer

Process

I got the on-site interview after being referred by a classmate.

There were a total of 4 technical interviews. Mostly, they asked common data structure questions, like those related to BSTs, linked lists, and strings.

You should also know your resume very well. The interviewer may discuss some points in your resume if they are interested.

Questions

How to find a loop in a linked list? Reverse a string?

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Interview Statistics

The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Alibaba Software Development Engineer role in Beijing, Beijing.

Success Rate

0%

Pass Rate

Alibaba's interview process for their Software Development Engineer roles in Beijing, Beijing is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.

Experience Rating

Positive0%

Neutral100%

Negative0%

Candidates reported having mixed feelings for Alibaba's Software Development Engineer interview process in Beijing, Beijing.

Alibaba Work Experiences

Company and colleague are good

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Beijing, Beijing, China

Pros: Colleagues are very nice. Bonus is good.

Cons: Not fair between each team.

Company and colleague are good

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Beijing, Beijing, China

Pros: Colleagues are very nice. Bonus is good.

Cons: Not fair between each team.

Growth, Balance, But Rapid Changes

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Pros: - Work-life balance (depends on teams) - Growth opportunity - Competitive team

Cons: Business changes rapidly, which means you need to be mentally prepared to switch teams at any time or face layoffs.

Growth, Balance, But Rapid Changes

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Pros: - Work-life balance (depends on teams) - Growth opportunity - Competitive team

Cons: Business changes rapidly, which means you need to be mentally prepared to switch teams at any time or face layoffs.

Not a bad experience

Software Development Engineer • Former Employee

Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Pros: You can learn a lot. It's basically China's best tech company. Your colleagues are outstanding and smart.

Cons: OKRs and KPIs really make you feel pressure. And there is still a risk of being laid off every year.

Not a bad experience

Software Development Engineer • Former Employee

Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Pros: You can learn a lot. It's basically China's best tech company. Your colleagues are outstanding and smart.

Cons: OKRs and KPIs really make you feel pressure. And there is still a risk of being laid off every year.

Company and colleague are good

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Beijing, Beijing, China

Pros: Colleagues are very nice. Bonus is good.

Cons: Not fair between each team.

4.0
Company and colleague are good
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Beijing, Beijing, China
March 4, 2013
Pros: Colleagues are very nice. Bonus is good.
Cons: Not fair between each team.

Growth, Balance, But Rapid Changes

Software Development Engineer • Current Employee

Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Pros: - Work-life balance (depends on teams) - Growth opportunity - Competitive team

Cons: Business changes rapidly, which means you need to be mentally prepared to switch teams at any time or face layoffs.

4.0
Growth, Balance, But Rapid Changes
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
May 5, 2025
Pros: - Work-life balance (depends on teams) - Growth opportunity - Competitive team
Cons: Business changes rapidly, which means you need to be mentally prepared to switch teams at any time or face layoffs.

Not a bad experience

Software Development Engineer • Former Employee

Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Pros: You can learn a lot. It's basically China's best tech company. Your colleagues are outstanding and smart.

Cons: OKRs and KPIs really make you feel pressure. And there is still a risk of being laid off every year.

4.0
Not a bad experience
Software Development Engineer • Former Employee
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
April 22, 2024
Pros: You can learn a lot. It's basically China's best tech company. Your colleagues are outstanding and smart.
Cons: OKRs and KPIs really make you feel pressure. And there is still a risk of being laid off every year.

Alibaba Interview Questions

Split Concatenated Strings

You are given a list of strings. Concatenate them to form a single string, then find the lexicographically largest string possible by splitting the concatenated string at any point and rejoining it.

StringsGreedy AlgorithmsArrays

Valid Parenthesis String

Determine if a string containing parentheses and asterisks is a valid parenthesis string. The asterisk can represent a left parenthesis, a right parenthesis, or an empty string.

StringsStacksDynamic ProgrammingGreedy Algorithms

Split Array with Equal Sum

Given an array of integers, determine if it's possible to split it into two non-empty subarrays with equal sums. The split point itself is not included in either subarray's sum.

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