I applied online.

The process consisted of a 30-minute interview with the recruiter discussing my experience, followed by a 1-hour initial call with an engineer for a deep dive into a past technical project, a take-home task, a 45-minute review of the take-home task, and a final round consisting of a 1-hour system design and a 1-hour behavioral interview. The process was intense but very streamlined. The recruiter was super responsive and transparent throughout all stages. I often heard back within 1-3 days after each step, except after the final round, which took around a week to receive the final decision. The whole process took around 5-6 weeks from application to offer, but I chose to space out my interviews, so it definitely could've been shorter. The engineering blog describes the process very well, and there are no "gotchas". Everyone I spoke to was super friendly and professional, and I received constructive feedback after each round and tips on how to prepare for the next round.

Naturally, interviewers were of different levels and experience, so some rounds were better than others depending on how good the interviewer was, but I generally felt like the feedback and assessment were fair. I wasn't asked any unreasonable questions, but they will probe and dig deep to see where your knowledge ends. They are unlikely to accept a handwavy response without probing to understand your reasoning, so make sure you know what you're talking about for the most part. Read their progression framework and make sure to use it in your preparation for the level you want because they will be looking for certain signals that they won't necessarily directly ask you about. I applied for L50 but was offered L40, which I accepted.

• Round 1: Describe a past project in great technical detail, as well as how you handled stakeholders.
• Round 2: A fairly well-known take-home exercise.
• System Design: You'll be given a partially designed system and be asked to complete it. It is not an off-the-shelf problem, so don't try to brute force the prep. Focus on first principles and your knowledge of basic system components.
• Behavioral: There are four topics that you will be told about by the recruiter before your interview.