Director of Engineering Interview Experience - United States
February 9, 2014
Positive ExperienceNo Offer
Process
I was contacted via my LinkedIn account; the hiring manager and I had a common friend. After I accepted the invitation to chat, we had a long phone call.
About two weeks later, I went for a whole day of interviews and spoke with six people. The following week, I had another two interviews with higher management. At that point, the hiring manager mentioned there was some reorganization going on and they would have to hold the process for some time.
Overall, the whole process was fair, and everyone was friendly throughout all interviews.
Questions
Design thread synchronization functions to access common resources.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 5 interview experiences for the Netflix Director of Engineering role in United States.
Success Rate
20%
Pass Rate
Netflix's interview process for their Director of Engineering roles in the United States is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Positive60%
Neutral40%
Negative0%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Netflix's Director of Engineering interview process in United States.
Netflix Work Experiences
3.0
Culture is fading, limited career growth
Director of Engineering • Former Employee
San Jose, California, United States
January 3, 2021
Pros: Flat org, single product, data-driven.
Cons: Culture used to be real; now the memo is just a shrine. Performance reviews are highly subjective. Candor can get you a severance. Senior eng leaders have been too long in their roles and are behind cloud tech. Teams are bloated, and talent density is getting seriously diluted. Comp is excellent for average engineers and average for excellent engineers. There is no career path for ICs who do not want to manage people.
5.0
Best job I have ever had
Director of Engineering • Current Employee
Los Gatos, California, United States
December 9, 2014
Pros: Excellent environment for smart and motivated SW devs.
Very little politics.
Technology leader.
Very focused on streaming video on demand.
Value smart devs, not 24-7 heroes.
Tremendous opportunity to influence video and entertainment industries.
Cons: If you are a task-oriented dev, if you need an architect or manager to give you a list of deliverables, you will not do well at Netflix. If you are a control freak, you will not do well.
5.0
Best place I have ever worked
Director of Engineering • Current Employee
Los Gatos, California, United States
June 11, 2012
Pros: Leading-edge technology, not afraid to do things differently if it makes sense, agile and low-process overhead for getting things done. Clear focus on a simple business model, with clear responsibilities and freedom on how to deliver.
Cons: You have to be comfortable with rapid change and ambiguity, and have enough self-confidence to cope with the culture. It's not a place for people who like to know what the rules are and follow them.
- 3.0Culture is fading, limited career growthDirector of Engineering • Former EmployeeSan Jose, California, United StatesJanuary 3, 2021Pros: Flat org, single product, data-driven.Cons: Culture used to be real; now the memo is just a shrine. Performance reviews are highly subjective. Candor can get you a severance. Senior eng leaders have been too long in their roles and are behind cloud tech. Teams are bloated, and talent density is getting seriously diluted. Comp is excellent for average engineers and average for excellent engineers. There is no career path for ICs who do not want to manage people.
- 5.0Best job I have ever hadDirector of Engineering • Current EmployeeLos Gatos, California, United StatesDecember 9, 2014Pros: Excellent environment for smart and motivated SW devs. Very little politics. Technology leader. Very focused on streaming video on demand. Value smart devs, not 24-7 heroes. Tremendous opportunity to influence video and entertainment industries.Cons: If you are a task-oriented dev, if you need an architect or manager to give you a list of deliverables, you will not do well at Netflix. If you are a control freak, you will not do well.
- 5.0Best place I have ever workedDirector of Engineering • Current EmployeeLos Gatos, California, United StatesJune 11, 2012Pros: Leading-edge technology, not afraid to do things differently if it makes sense, agile and low-process overhead for getting things done. Clear focus on a simple business model, with clear responsibilities and freedom on how to deliver.Cons: You have to be comfortable with rapid change and ambiguity, and have enough self-confidence to cope with the culture. It's not a place for people who like to know what the rules are and follow them.
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