Software Engineer Interview Experience - Palo Alto, California
Process
The hiring process for interns is the same as for full-time engineers.
After an initial auto-graded coding challenge on HackerRank, they gave me a phone screen, then a phone coding interview. At the end of the phone coding interview, they immediately told me they were going to recommend me for an on-site. It took less than two weeks to go through the process up until here.
The on-site was pretty standard: demos, three coding interviews, lunch, and more demos. At the end, they had me interview with the hiring manager, which I thought was a good sign. In fact, I felt like I did quite well all day -- I solved every problem I was given, and I thought I did a decent job of explaining my thought process.
They contacted me after a week and a half to say they weren't going to make an offer. I'm not really sure what went wrong, but the interview experience itself was pleasant.
Questions
The decomposition problem was to sketch out an implementation of Asteroids.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 47 interview experiences for the Palantir Software Engineer role in Palo Alto, California.
Success Rate
Palantir's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in Palo Alto, California is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Palantir's Software Engineer interview process in Palo Alto, California.
Palantir Work Experiences
- 5.0Great experience overallSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeePalo Alto, California, United StatesAugust 30, 2020Pros: I had a great team with really competent teammates.Cons: You really do need to work hard. I've seen people work really late into the night.
- 1.0Hard to put into wordsSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeePalo Alto, California, United StatesMay 29, 2025Pros: It is a company that pays money and offers benefits. It has employees who are all in the same boat.Cons: Leadership under AK are shells of people. I would say so much more, but simply put: Don't.
- 5.0Meaning and OpportunitySoftware Engineer • Current EmployeePalo Alto, California, United StatesJuly 17, 2015Pros: In my experience, Palantir is perennially faced with more business than it has resources to staff, with the following results: * The customers I've worked with and problems where I've engaged have been both challenging and meaningful. * There is always a need for team members to step up and take ownership. No matter how new the employee, if you prove willing and capable, then you'll be given responsibility.Cons: Hard, meaningful problems have real deadlines. Sometimes this means late nights. In a lot of ways, growth at Palantir is empirical. As you prove capability, you will be given more accountability and ownership. There is no concrete promotion checklist, and your title won't have an increasing number next to it. This may make Palantir a poor fit for those who prefer that kind of structure.
Palantir Interview Questions
