Software Development Engineer Interview Experience - Seattle, Washington
September 24, 2026
Positive ExperienceGot Offer
Process
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks.
The interview was pretty straightforward. Had an online assessment followed by a questionnaire for Amazon culture fit. Had three loop rounds back to back where I was asked:
- Two LeetCode questions
- Some questions on my resume
- A behavioral round
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 56 interview experiences for the Amazon Software Development Engineer role in Seattle, Washington.
Success Rate
29%
Pass Rate
Amazon's interview process for their Software Development Engineer roles in Seattle, Washington is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Positive61%
Neutral23%
Negative16%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Amazon's Software Development Engineer interview process in Seattle, Washington.
Amazon Work Experiences
2.0
Disappearing "Amazon Culture"
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Seattle, Washington, United States
February 21, 2015
Pros: - You work with some of the smartest people around.
- Huge range of areas/technology you can work with, depending on the team.
Cons: The relaxed and innovation-oriented culture is quickly disappearing, and it is becoming more and more bureaucratic.
The fact that management is not doing anything about the infamous retention rate (average 1.5 years for SDEs) shows a lot about where the focus is. SDEs are not valued much, and Amazon is willing to churn/burn through new hires.
Not many perks/benefits compared to other comparable companies.
1.0
Amazing Pay, Soul-crushing Work
Software Development Engineer • Former Employee
Seattle, Washington, United States
October 17, 2025
Pros: A lot of stuff to learn, amazing salary, and stocks.
Cons: Work will crush you unless you're an absolute workaholic.
Most employees just feel like robots and soulless.
It's easy to get put on a PIP.
5.0
Satisfying Work and Maximum Impact
Software Development Engineer • Current Employee
Seattle, Washington, United States
September 24, 2019
Pros: 1. Management is extremely competent and wants you to succeed.
2. Intelligent and helpful engineers.
3. Lots of interesting work and hard problems to solve.
4. Your opinions matter and you are encouraged to speak up.
5. Leadership principles are the best.
6. Amazing work-life balance (40 hours/week with on-call 1 week in a 6-week period).
7. The stock keeps going up!
Cons: None in my perspective. Perks like food and gym memberships would have been nice. The 401k match is only 2%.
- 2.0Disappearing "Amazon Culture"Software Development Engineer • Current EmployeeSeattle, Washington, United StatesFebruary 21, 2015Pros: - You work with some of the smartest people around. - Huge range of areas/technology you can work with, depending on the team.Cons: The relaxed and innovation-oriented culture is quickly disappearing, and it is becoming more and more bureaucratic. The fact that management is not doing anything about the infamous retention rate (average 1.5 years for SDEs) shows a lot about where the focus is. SDEs are not valued much, and Amazon is willing to churn/burn through new hires. Not many perks/benefits compared to other comparable companies.
- 1.0Amazing Pay, Soul-crushing WorkSoftware Development Engineer • Former EmployeeSeattle, Washington, United StatesOctober 17, 2025Pros: A lot of stuff to learn, amazing salary, and stocks.Cons: Work will crush you unless you're an absolute workaholic. Most employees just feel like robots and soulless. It's easy to get put on a PIP.
- 5.0Satisfying Work and Maximum ImpactSoftware Development Engineer • Current EmployeeSeattle, Washington, United StatesSeptember 24, 2019Pros: 1. Management is extremely competent and wants you to succeed. 2. Intelligent and helpful engineers. 3. Lots of interesting work and hard problems to solve. 4. Your opinions matter and you are encouraged to speak up. 5. Leadership principles are the best. 6. Amazing work-life balance (40 hours/week with on-call 1 week in a 6-week period). 7. The stock keeps going up!Cons: None in my perspective. Perks like food and gym memberships would have been nice. The 401k match is only 2%.
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