Kong

Staff Software Engineer Interview Experience

December 9, 2025

Negative ExperienceNo Offer

Process

I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. The recruiter call first lasted for 30 mins explaining about the role, followed by the hiring manager round a week later that was supposed to happen for an hour, but was cut short to just 15 mins.

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Interview Statistics

The following metrics were computed from 2 interview experiences for the Kong Staff Software Engineer role.

Success Rate

0%

Pass Rate

Kong's interview process for their Staff Software Engineer roles is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.

Experience Rating

Positive0%

Neutral50%

Negative50%

Candidates reported having very negative feelings for Kong's Staff Software Engineer interview process.

Kong Work Experiences

Flexible hours and good pay hindered by poor management

Test Engineer • Former Employee

Pros: Working hours are flexible, the pay is pretty good, and commuting is convenient.

Cons: The management is really poor. The test supervisor got a bunch of entry-level certificates and started misleading everyone.

Flexible hours and good pay hindered by poor management

Test Engineer • Former Employee

Pros: Working hours are flexible, the pay is pretty good, and commuting is convenient.

Cons: The management is really poor. The test supervisor got a bunch of entry-level certificates and started misleading everyone.

Stayed 1 year

Software Engineer • Former Employee

Pros: Average salary at the industry while much higher than the local market.

Cons: The team in Shanghai is forced to work at the office while employees in other countries are allowed to WFH.

Software Engineer • Former Employee

Pros: Average salary at the industry while much higher than the local market.

Cons: The team in Shanghai is forced to work at the office while employees in other countries are allowed to WFH.

Execution, Execution, Execution

Engineering • Former Employee

December 15, 2021

Pros: * Large opportunity ahead. Pre-IPO company. * Strong technology that drives the GTM motion. * Many low-hanging fruits that - when addressed - can skyrocket growth.

Cons: * Many low-hanging fruits that have not been addressed. * As the company grows, it's important that we are able to create new products that can increase the overall revenue growth. Today, we need to do a better job at integrating these new products into the sales motion. * Continued focus on execution with obsession to the product and customer experience is needed. This is not a laid back environment (and it shouldn't be).

Execution, Execution, Execution

Engineering • Former Employee

December 15, 2021

Pros: * Large opportunity ahead. Pre-IPO company. * Strong technology that drives the GTM motion. * Many low-hanging fruits that - when addressed - can skyrocket growth.

Cons: * Many low-hanging fruits that have not been addressed. * As the company grows, it's important that we are able to create new products that can increase the overall revenue growth. Today, we need to do a better job at integrating these new products into the sales motion. * Continued focus on execution with obsession to the product and customer experience is needed. This is not a laid back environment (and it shouldn't be).

Flexible hours and good pay hindered by poor management

Test Engineer • Former Employee

Pros: Working hours are flexible, the pay is pretty good, and commuting is convenient.

Cons: The management is really poor. The test supervisor got a bunch of entry-level certificates and started misleading everyone.

1.0
Flexible hours and good pay hindered by poor management
Test Engineer • Former Employee
June 18, 2026
Pros: Working hours are flexible, the pay is pretty good, and commuting is convenient.
Cons: The management is really poor. The test supervisor got a bunch of entry-level certificates and started misleading everyone.

Stayed 1 year

Software Engineer • Former Employee

Pros: Average salary at the industry while much higher than the local market.

Cons: The team in Shanghai is forced to work at the office while employees in other countries are allowed to WFH.

3.0
Stayed 1 year
Software Engineer • Former Employee
May 25, 2023
Pros: Average salary at the industry while much higher than the local market.
Cons: The team in Shanghai is forced to work at the office while employees in other countries are allowed to WFH.

Execution, Execution, Execution

Engineering • Former Employee

December 15, 2021

Pros: * Large opportunity ahead. Pre-IPO company. * Strong technology that drives the GTM motion. * Many low-hanging fruits that - when addressed - can skyrocket growth.

Cons: * Many low-hanging fruits that have not been addressed. * As the company grows, it's important that we are able to create new products that can increase the overall revenue growth. Today, we need to do a better job at integrating these new products into the sales motion. * Continued focus on execution with obsession to the product and customer experience is needed. This is not a laid back environment (and it shouldn't be).

5.0
Execution, Execution, Execution
Engineering • Former Employee
December 15, 2021
Pros: * Large opportunity ahead. Pre-IPO company. * Strong technology that drives the GTM motion. * Many low-hanging fruits that - when addressed - can skyrocket growth.
Cons: * Many low-hanging fruits that have not been addressed. * As the company grows, it's important that we are able to create new products that can increase the overall revenue growth. Today, we need to do a better job at integrating these new products into the sales motion. * Continued focus on execution with obsession to the product and customer experience is needed. This is not a laid back environment (and it shouldn't be).

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