Google

Software Engineer, PhD Interview Experience

October 1, 2016

Positive ExperienceNo Offer

Process

I applied online and received an email to set up a phone interview within the same week. I scheduled the phone interview for about two weeks later. The phone interview involved answering programming questions on a Google Document while the interviewer observed. Afterwards, I was contacted and informed that they would not be moving forward with the second interview process.

Questions

Per NDA, I am not allowed to say.

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Interview Statistics

The following metrics were computed from 4 interview experiences for the Google Software Engineer, PhD role in United States.

Success Rate

50%

Pass Rate

Google's interview process for their Software Engineer, PhD roles in the United States is fairly selective, failing a large portion of engineers who go through it.

Experience Rating

Positive75%

Neutral25%

Negative0%

Candidates reported having very good feelings for Google's Software Engineer, PhD interview process in United States.

Google Work Experiences

Food, Ambiance, Communication Good

Software Development Engineer (SDE) • Former Employee

Americana, United States

Pros: Food, ambiance, crowd, communication, guidelines.

Cons: cons cons cons cons cons

Food, Ambiance, Communication Good

Software Development Engineer (SDE) • Former Employee

Americana, United States

Pros: Food, ambiance, crowd, communication, guidelines.

Cons: cons cons cons cons cons

Great Work, No Cons!

Software Developer • Current Employee

South West, United States

Pros: Very nice environment to work.

Cons: Cannot think of any cons.

Great Work, No Cons!

Software Developer • Current Employee

South West, United States

Pros: Very nice environment to work.

Cons: Cannot think of any cons.

Pioneering Tech, Ad Dependence

Sooftware Engineer • Current Employee

America, United States

September 3, 2025

Pros: Innovation Leader – Google consistently pioneers cutting-edge technologies in AI, cloud computing, search, and advertising. Strong Brand & Market Share – Its dominance in search (over 90% market share globally) gives it unmatched visibility and influence.

Cons: Dependence on Ads – Over 75% of revenue still comes from advertising, making Google vulnerable to market shifts and regulatory changes. Privacy Concerns – Ongoing criticism and scrutiny over data collection and user privacy have damaged its public trust in some regions.

Pioneering Tech, Ad Dependence

Sooftware Engineer • Current Employee

America, United States

September 3, 2025

Pros: Innovation Leader – Google consistently pioneers cutting-edge technologies in AI, cloud computing, search, and advertising. Strong Brand & Market Share – Its dominance in search (over 90% market share globally) gives it unmatched visibility and influence.

Cons: Dependence on Ads – Over 75% of revenue still comes from advertising, making Google vulnerable to market shifts and regulatory changes. Privacy Concerns – Ongoing criticism and scrutiny over data collection and user privacy have damaged its public trust in some regions.

Food, Ambiance, Communication Good

Software Development Engineer (SDE) • Former Employee

Americana, United States

Pros: Food, ambiance, crowd, communication, guidelines.

Cons: cons cons cons cons cons

5.0
Food, Ambiance, Communication Good
Software Development Engineer (SDE) • Former Employee
Americana, United States
July 30, 2023
Pros: Food, ambiance, crowd, communication, guidelines.
Cons: cons cons cons cons cons

Great Work, No Cons!

Software Developer • Current Employee

South West, United States

Pros: Very nice environment to work.

Cons: Cannot think of any cons.

5.0
Great Work, No Cons!
Software Developer • Current Employee
South West, United States
May 14, 2021
Pros: Very nice environment to work.
Cons: Cannot think of any cons.

Pioneering Tech, Ad Dependence

Sooftware Engineer • Current Employee

America, United States

September 3, 2025

Pros: Innovation Leader – Google consistently pioneers cutting-edge technologies in AI, cloud computing, search, and advertising. Strong Brand & Market Share – Its dominance in search (over 90% market share globally) gives it unmatched visibility and influence.

Cons: Dependence on Ads – Over 75% of revenue still comes from advertising, making Google vulnerable to market shifts and regulatory changes. Privacy Concerns – Ongoing criticism and scrutiny over data collection and user privacy have damaged its public trust in some regions.

4.0
Pioneering Tech, Ad Dependence
Sooftware Engineer • Current Employee
America, United States
September 3, 2025
Pros: Innovation Leader – Google consistently pioneers cutting-edge technologies in AI, cloud computing, search, and advertising. Strong Brand & Market Share – Its dominance in search (over 90% market share globally) gives it unmatched visibility and influence.
Cons: Dependence on Ads – Over 75% of revenue still comes from advertising, making Google vulnerable to market shifts and regulatory changes. Privacy Concerns – Ongoing criticism and scrutiny over data collection and user privacy have damaged its public trust in some regions.

Google Interview Questions

Two Sum

Find two numbers in a given array that add up to a specific target value, and return their indices. Essentially, you need to efficiently locate the pair that satisfies the sum requirement.

Palindrome Number

Determine whether an integer is a palindrome. That is, it reads the same forwards and backward.

Bit Manipulation

Add Two Numbers

You are given two linked lists, each representing a non-negative integer. Add the two numbers and return the sum as a linked list.

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