Process
The interview process consisted of two video interviews on HackerRank, followed by an onsite interview.
The recruiter was very prompt in responding at all stages of the process, making it the fastest I have experienced.
The process featured mostly technical questions, with not many behavioral questions. This is an area that could potentially be expanded upon.
Questions
Not a lot of behavioral.
Pair programming, prime number generation, classifying words in a different language given rules.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 47 interview experiences for the Duolingo Software Engineer role in United States.
Success Rate
11%
Pass Rate
Duolingo's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in the United States is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Positive49%
Neutral34%
Negative17%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Duolingo's Software Engineer interview process in United States.
Duolingo Work Experiences
4.0
Great culture and leadership, but frequent changes disrupt work
Software Engineer • Current Employee
New York, NY
June 21, 2026
Pros: The culture, mission, and leadership are great. The company rewards impact, and there are friendly coworkers.
Cons: There were a lot of frequent top-down changes and directives.
4.0
Overall good
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Pittsburgh, PA
September 27, 2026
Pros: - Generally good culture.
- People are nice.
- Office perks.
- Immigration support.
Cons: There was top-down decision-making, frequent reorgs, and a shift of priorities.
5.0
Fantastic place to work and grow as an engineer
Software Engineer • Former Employee
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
December 28, 2022
Pros: - Generally a joy to show up to work every day.
- Excellent engineering culture. Everyone I worked with seemed to be genuinely excited to be there, solving problems and working on new things.
- Management highly values employee satisfaction and career growth. I had lots of opportunities to learn new skills and take on new challenges.
Cons: - Living in Pittsburgh isn't for everyone, and most positions are located there.
- The company has grown a lot over the last few years, which has made for constant change in teams, people, processes, features, code/architecture – just about everything.
This isn't really a con for the right type of person, and it may mellow out as the company transitions out of the late-stage startup phase, but be prepared for a very dynamic environment.
- 4.0Great culture and leadership, but frequent changes disrupt workSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeNew York, NYJune 21, 2026Pros: The culture, mission, and leadership are great. The company rewards impact, and there are friendly coworkers.Cons: There were a lot of frequent top-down changes and directives.
- 4.0Overall goodSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeePittsburgh, PASeptember 27, 2026Pros: - Generally good culture. - People are nice. - Office perks. - Immigration support.Cons: There was top-down decision-making, frequent reorgs, and a shift of priorities.
- 5.0Fantastic place to work and grow as an engineerSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeePittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United StatesDecember 28, 2022Pros: - Generally a joy to show up to work every day. - Excellent engineering culture. Everyone I worked with seemed to be genuinely excited to be there, solving problems and working on new things. - Management highly values employee satisfaction and career growth. I had lots of opportunities to learn new skills and take on new challenges.Cons: - Living in Pittsburgh isn't for everyone, and most positions are located there. - The company has grown a lot over the last few years, which has made for constant change in teams, people, processes, features, code/architecture – just about everything. This isn't really a con for the right type of person, and it may mellow out as the company transitions out of the late-stage startup phase, but be prepared for a very dynamic environment.
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