Process
The hiring manager contacted me and asked some technical questions on Feb. 2013. After one week, the hiring manager reached out to me to ask about my availability for an interview; then there was silence for a couple of weeks. The hiring manager asked for an interview, and I provided my availability, then there was silence again for a couple of weeks. Then a recruiter contacted me again to schedule an interview. After I provided my availability for a couple of hours, the recruiter replied that the hiring manager said I was not a perfect match for the position and they would not move forward this time. The recruiter said: "If you send me an invitation to connect on LinkedIn, I'd be happy to accept."
My experience was very negative, so I don't plan to apply for it a second time. There are a lot of good companies out there.
Questions
There are no difficult questions.
All were very easy, just like an interview with a small company of less than 10 developers.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 96 interview experiences for the Netflix Senior Software Engineer role in United States.
Success Rate
15%
Pass Rate
Netflix's interview process for their Senior Software Engineer roles in the United States is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Positive38%
Neutral24%
Negative39%
Candidates reported having mixed feelings for Netflix's Senior Software Engineer interview process in United States.
Netflix Work Experiences
4.0
Great CEO, a lot to learn there, but some cultural flaws. Worth working for
Senior Software Engineer • Current Employee
Los Gatos, California, United States
March 9, 2009
Pros: You are part of a team that is at the leading edge of a cool entertainment paradigm. Reed Hastings, the CEO, is probably the CEO that I have most respected in my career, and I feel he pretty consistently makes good decisions and moves the company in the correct direction.
Netflix has a very quantitative approach to almost everything, including detailed user testing for their products, so there is a lot to learn about that. The other employees are generally cool people, and fairly smart in general. The user interface aspects of the website are strong, so again, there is a learning opportunity. The company-wide meetings are fun and entail good communication.
Cons: In the website development group, there is a two-week development cycle. This means that there is a push to the website every two weeks. This has a few consequences. One is that there is a high percentage of overhead (testing and release stuff) compared to actual development time. There is not much time for software design in such a scheme; there is always a rush to hit the next two-week time click. Longer-term projects are tougher to schedule, and short-term thinking dominates.
The performance policy is that anyone who, if they quit, would not be attempted to talk out if it, should be fired preemptively (a hair-trigger threshold for firing, basically). This creates a chilling effect, in my opinion. I have seen fairly senior management that disagreed with their boss being (fairly apparently) fired. This creates a bit of a yes-man environment, something that Netflix would deny (perhaps even to themselves). There is very little empowerment of employees in real decisions, and decision-making is very top-down, with the resulting motivation hit that entails.
5.0
Great place to work if you can keep up
Senior Software Engineer • Current Employee
Los Gatos, California, United States
May 15, 2017
Pros: You have a lot of autonomy in technical decisions.
It's a very respectful place to work. Racism/sexism is not tolerated.
Really no barriers to getting things done. If you have a great solution to a problem, you can roll with it.
Cons: That same autonomy can make getting consensus on technical choices more complicated.
5.0
Exceptional Growth & Culture
Senior Software Engineer • Current Employee
January 9, 2025
Pros: 1. Competitive pay.
2. Generous stock options.
3. Health insurance.
4. Flexible work hours.
5. Unlimited vacation.
6. Parental leave.
7. Learning opportunities.
8. Fitness reimbursements.
9. Work-life balance.
10. Inclusive culture.
11. Remote work options.
12. Career growth.
13. Collaborative environment.
14. Freedom to innovate.
15. Employee autonomy.
16. Prestigious brand.
17. Transparent policies.
18. Mental health support.
19. Relocation assistance.
20. Diverse projects.
21. Global exposure.
22. Cutting-edge tools.
23. Employee recognition.
24. Dynamic work culture.
25. Industry leadership.
26. Open communication.
27. Challenging problems.
28. Creative opportunities.
29. Professional development.
30. High job satisfaction.
31. Community.
Cons: It was an amazing experience. The staff was good.
- 4.0Great CEO, a lot to learn there, but some cultural flaws. Worth working forSenior Software Engineer • Current EmployeeLos Gatos, California, United StatesMarch 9, 2009Pros: You are part of a team that is at the leading edge of a cool entertainment paradigm. Reed Hastings, the CEO, is probably the CEO that I have most respected in my career, and I feel he pretty consistently makes good decisions and moves the company in the correct direction. Netflix has a very quantitative approach to almost everything, including detailed user testing for their products, so there is a lot to learn about that. The other employees are generally cool people, and fairly smart in general. The user interface aspects of the website are strong, so again, there is a learning opportunity. The company-wide meetings are fun and entail good communication.Cons: In the website development group, there is a two-week development cycle. This means that there is a push to the website every two weeks. This has a few consequences. One is that there is a high percentage of overhead (testing and release stuff) compared to actual development time. There is not much time for software design in such a scheme; there is always a rush to hit the next two-week time click. Longer-term projects are tougher to schedule, and short-term thinking dominates. The performance policy is that anyone who, if they quit, would not be attempted to talk out if it, should be fired preemptively (a hair-trigger threshold for firing, basically). This creates a chilling effect, in my opinion. I have seen fairly senior management that disagreed with their boss being (fairly apparently) fired. This creates a bit of a yes-man environment, something that Netflix would deny (perhaps even to themselves). There is very little empowerment of employees in real decisions, and decision-making is very top-down, with the resulting motivation hit that entails.
- 5.0Great place to work if you can keep upSenior Software Engineer • Current EmployeeLos Gatos, California, United StatesMay 15, 2017Pros: You have a lot of autonomy in technical decisions. It's a very respectful place to work. Racism/sexism is not tolerated. Really no barriers to getting things done. If you have a great solution to a problem, you can roll with it.Cons: That same autonomy can make getting consensus on technical choices more complicated.
- 5.0Exceptional Growth & CultureSenior Software Engineer • Current EmployeeJanuary 9, 2025Pros: 1. Competitive pay. 2. Generous stock options. 3. Health insurance. 4. Flexible work hours. 5. Unlimited vacation. 6. Parental leave. 7. Learning opportunities. 8. Fitness reimbursements. 9. Work-life balance. 10. Inclusive culture. 11. Remote work options. 12. Career growth. 13. Collaborative environment. 14. Freedom to innovate. 15. Employee autonomy. 16. Prestigious brand. 17. Transparent policies. 18. Mental health support. 19. Relocation assistance. 20. Diverse projects. 21. Global exposure. 22. Cutting-edge tools. 23. Employee recognition. 24. Dynamic work culture. 25. Industry leadership. 26. Open communication. 27. Challenging problems. 28. Creative opportunities. 29. Professional development. 30. High job satisfaction. 31. Community.Cons: It was an amazing experience. The staff was good.
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