Principal Software Engineer Interview Experience - San Francisco, California
Process
Recruiters were good, and central tracking of interview stages via the portal made the process smooth. However, the process took a very long time, with scheduling challenges and repeated reschedules.
While a couple of interviewers were really smart, others were quite nitpicky and expected very specific answers.
Questions
Design a social media product like Instagram, focusing on the search function.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Meta Principal Software Engineer role in San Francisco, California.
Success Rate
Meta's interview process for their Principal Software Engineer roles in San Francisco, California is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having mixed feelings for Meta's Principal Software Engineer interview process in San Francisco, California.
Meta Work Experiences
- 5.0Outstanding Growth, No ConsPrincipal Software Engineer • Current EmployeeSão Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilOctober 1, 2025Pros: Many growth opportunities, excellent.Cons: Não tenho contras a falar para a empresa.
- 1.0Great pay, high stress due to cutthroat environmentPrincipal Software Engineer • Current EmployeeLondon, England, United KingdomSeptember 7, 2024Pros: One of the top companies for total compensation. Smart people and interesting challenges.Cons: Back to 6-month performance review. Stack-ranking with 10%-15% cut. Cutthroat competition leads to individualism, politics, and poor collaboration. Little to no growth past L6/M1.
- 5.0Excellent Offer, Collaborative TeamPrincipal Software Engineer • Current EmployeeJanuary 31, 2024Pros: Generous offer, collaborative environment, and ambitious team.Cons: I have no complaints as of now.
Meta Interview Questions
