Process
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks.
Direct and to the point, Lambda asks technical questions which will synthesize your understanding of the domain which you're interviewing for. I interviewed for a backend SW position and was given a fair, but thorough test in Linux and object oriented programming. No Leetcode.
The interview process consisted of:
- Recruiter screener
- Hiring Manager interview - resume review, and offhand technical jabs
- Linux technical interview -- this one was weird. I SSH'd into an EC2 instance and just answered random questions that the interviewer thought of, thorough and difficult
- Behavioral & OOP design interview
- Solve an OOP problem using Python or Golang; make sure to display 100% competency in the interview. I was declined since I was nervous and mixed up Python & Go syntax. This is a relatively easy problem, so you need to do it right.
- Behavioral interview -- the recruiter gives you a number of scenarios to consider before this interview, and then you discuss this in the actual interview, things like "A time you had a technical failure."
Questions
- Describe how to mount a file system
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Lambda Software Engineer role.
Success Rate
0%
Pass Rate
Lambda's interview process for their Software Engineer roles is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Positive100%
Neutral0%
Negative0%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Lambda's Software Engineer interview process.
Lambda Work Experiences
5.0
Extremely talented engineering team
Software Engineer • Current Employee
San Francisco, CA
February 22, 2025
Pros: - Engineering team has top-tier talent
- Get to work on very interesting projects using state-of-the-art hardware
- Challenging technical problems (e.g. virtualizing large scale GPU clusters)
- Growth rate is extremely fast in terms of customers and revenue
Cons: - Need more product direction, as the product team is under-resourced.
- Cross-departmental coordination, though this is getting better.
5.0
Fun work, great people
Software Engineer • Current Employee
December 2, 2023
Pros: Interesting and challenging work; there's no shortage of interesting projects to work on, and engineers get to really own their work.
Engineering culture is healthy and a real focus for senior leadership; there's a solid understanding that companies can make or break their culture quickly with the decisions leadership makes, and maintaining and improving our culture truly is a top priority.
Our engineers are out-of-this-world good at what they do, and there's almost no ego.
Cons: Like lots of tech companies and especially smaller startups, we're not a super diverse company, though there are efforts underway to improve this (a staff-led and exec-sponsored DEI resource group is one example).
Our planning process needs work and can vary somewhat depending on what team you're on, though we tend to focus on the right things as an engineering org and engineers in general are really engaged in the projects they're working on.
5.0
Smart team, high impact work, high growth
Software Engineer • Current Employee
San Francisco, CA
July 12, 2020
Pros: - Lots of people to learn from, and basically every engineer has a PhD or left a PhD program.
- Management gives people lots of autonomy, decision-making power, and responsibility.
- I have never worked on a project that didn't feel high impact.
Cons: Hours are sometimes long, though compared to other start-ups that I've worked at, it's quite balanced.
- 5.0Extremely talented engineering teamSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeSan Francisco, CAFebruary 22, 2025Pros: - Engineering team has top-tier talent - Get to work on very interesting projects using state-of-the-art hardware - Challenging technical problems (e.g. virtualizing large scale GPU clusters) - Growth rate is extremely fast in terms of customers and revenueCons: - Need more product direction, as the product team is under-resourced. - Cross-departmental coordination, though this is getting better.
- 5.0Fun work, great peopleSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeDecember 2, 2023Pros: Interesting and challenging work; there's no shortage of interesting projects to work on, and engineers get to really own their work. Engineering culture is healthy and a real focus for senior leadership; there's a solid understanding that companies can make or break their culture quickly with the decisions leadership makes, and maintaining and improving our culture truly is a top priority. Our engineers are out-of-this-world good at what they do, and there's almost no ego.Cons: Like lots of tech companies and especially smaller startups, we're not a super diverse company, though there are efforts underway to improve this (a staff-led and exec-sponsored DEI resource group is one example). Our planning process needs work and can vary somewhat depending on what team you're on, though we tend to focus on the right things as an engineering org and engineers in general are really engaged in the projects they're working on.
- 5.0Smart team, high impact work, high growthSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeSan Francisco, CAJuly 12, 2020Pros: - Lots of people to learn from, and basically every engineer has a PhD or left a PhD program. - Management gives people lots of autonomy, decision-making power, and responsibility. - I have never worked on a project that didn't feel high impact.Cons: Hours are sometimes long, though compared to other start-ups that I've worked at, it's quite balanced.
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