Google

Software Engineering Interview Experience - Mountain View, California

July 1, 2016

Positive ExperienceNo Offer

Process

Applied through college recruiting, after a few weeks I had a phone screen. I then moved on to a "hangout" coding session on Google Docs. Later, I was brought to Google for an onsite interview with four developers and had lunch with one employee.

Questions

algorithms, dynamic programming

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Interview Statistics

The following metrics were computed from 16 interview experiences for the Google Software Engineering role in Mountain View, California.

Success Rate

25%

Pass Rate

Google's interview process for their Software Engineering roles in Mountain View, California is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.

Experience Rating

Positive63%

Neutral25%

Negative13%

Candidates reported having very good feelings for Google's Software Engineering interview process in Mountain View, California.

Google Work Experiences

Good projects, good people, but lots of chaos

Software Engineering • Current Employee

Mountain View, California, United States

Pros: - You get to work with smart people. - If you're on the right team, you can work on cutting-edge tech.

Cons: - Too many reorgs and shifting priorities recently. - Work-life balance is not as good as it used to be, but the extra effort also often goes unrecognized.

Good projects, good people, but lots of chaos

Software Engineering • Current Employee

Mountain View, California, United States

Pros: - You get to work with smart people. - If you're on the right team, you can work on cutting-edge tech.

Cons: - Too many reorgs and shifting priorities recently. - Work-life balance is not as good as it used to be, but the extra effort also often goes unrecognized.

Still a good company, but may not be the best anymore

Software Engineering • Former Employee

Mountain View, California, United States

September 12, 2008

Pros: Cutting-edge technology, a famous brand, and good food. The good weather here in Mountain View, CA is also a good reason. If you are tired of the free food here, go get some decent dinners on Castro Street nearby. You can also learn a lot from tech talks, open days, the MoMA, and the code tree itself. Google's codebase may not be the biggest, but its quality is the best in the world.

Cons: It is a good place for college graduates, but it may not be good for ambitious people. The decision to quit is difficult because of the perks, the good food, and the admiration from people around you when they know you are a Googler. But there is a reason for so many talented people to leave this company...

Still a good company, but may not be the best anymore

Software Engineering • Former Employee

Mountain View, California, United States

September 12, 2008

Pros: Cutting-edge technology, a famous brand, and good food. The good weather here in Mountain View, CA is also a good reason. If you are tired of the free food here, go get some decent dinners on Castro Street nearby. You can also learn a lot from tech talks, open days, the MoMA, and the code tree itself. Google's codebase may not be the biggest, but its quality is the best in the world.

Cons: It is a good place for college graduates, but it may not be good for ambitious people. The decision to quit is difficult because of the perks, the good food, and the admiration from people around you when they know you are a Googler. But there is a reason for so many talented people to leave this company...

Moderate choice for talented SWE nowadays

Software Engineering • Current Employee

Mountain View, California, United States

January 4, 2024

Pros: Good benefits, such as stock/401k and free food.

Cons: Bad for immigration if you need I-140 or PERM.

Moderate choice for talented SWE nowadays

Software Engineering • Current Employee

Mountain View, California, United States

January 4, 2024

Pros: Good benefits, such as stock/401k and free food.

Cons: Bad for immigration if you need I-140 or PERM.

Good projects, good people, but lots of chaos

Software Engineering • Current Employee

Mountain View, California, United States

Pros: - You get to work with smart people. - If you're on the right team, you can work on cutting-edge tech.

Cons: - Too many reorgs and shifting priorities recently. - Work-life balance is not as good as it used to be, but the extra effort also often goes unrecognized.

3.0
Good projects, good people, but lots of chaos
Software Engineering • Current Employee
Mountain View, California, United States
April 2, 2025
Pros: - You get to work with smart people. - If you're on the right team, you can work on cutting-edge tech.
Cons: - Too many reorgs and shifting priorities recently. - Work-life balance is not as good as it used to be, but the extra effort also often goes unrecognized.

Still a good company, but may not be the best anymore

Software Engineering • Former Employee

Mountain View, California, United States

September 12, 2008

Pros: Cutting-edge technology, a famous brand, and good food. The good weather here in Mountain View, CA is also a good reason. If you are tired of the free food here, go get some decent dinners on Castro Street nearby. You can also learn a lot from tech talks, open days, the MoMA, and the code tree itself. Google's codebase may not be the biggest, but its quality is the best in the world.

Cons: It is a good place for college graduates, but it may not be good for ambitious people. The decision to quit is difficult because of the perks, the good food, and the admiration from people around you when they know you are a Googler. But there is a reason for so many talented people to leave this company...

4.0
Still a good company, but may not be the best anymore
Software Engineering • Former Employee
Mountain View, California, United States
September 12, 2008
Pros: Cutting-edge technology, a famous brand, and good food. The good weather here in Mountain View, CA is also a good reason. If you are tired of the free food here, go get some decent dinners on Castro Street nearby. You can also learn a lot from tech talks, open days, the MoMA, and the code tree itself. Google's codebase may not be the biggest, but its quality is the best in the world.
Cons: It is a good place for college graduates, but it may not be good for ambitious people. The decision to quit is difficult because of the perks, the good food, and the admiration from people around you when they know you are a Googler. But there is a reason for so many talented people to leave this company...

Moderate choice for talented SWE nowadays

Software Engineering • Current Employee

Mountain View, California, United States

January 4, 2024

Pros: Good benefits, such as stock/401k and free food.

Cons: Bad for immigration if you need I-140 or PERM.

3.0
Moderate choice for talented SWE nowadays
Software Engineering • Current Employee
Mountain View, California, United States
January 4, 2024
Pros: Good benefits, such as stock/401k and free food.
Cons: Bad for immigration if you need I-140 or PERM.

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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