Process
I had a phone screen with a guy who had the most extreme case of "drinking the company Kool-Aid" I've ever witnessed.
The interviewer told me that Patreon only hires engineers who strongly believe in Patreon's mission.
Essentially, their mission is to provide a platform for professional YouTube celebrities to get paid on a subscription basis by subscribers for posting their content to Patreon's platform.
It's not a "mission" that any engineer actually cares about. Engineers are geeks who care about solving challenging engineering problems, learning about new tech, and geeky things like sci-fi.
I opted to cut the interview short since this guy was obviously nuts, and whoever is running the company is probably equally delusional.
If you actually want a job here for some odd reason, make sure to keep up the charade that you deeply care about Patreon's mission.
Questions
Did you apply to this job because there was a good skills match, or because you strongly believe in Patreon's mission?
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 26 interview experiences for the Patreon Software Engineer role in United States.
Success Rate
Patreon's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in the United States is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having negative feelings for Patreon's Software Engineer interview process in United States.
Patreon Work Experiences
- 5.0Great company. Great office cultureSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeSeptember 21, 2023Pros: A lot of frontend product work. A move-fast culture was awesome.Cons: Half of the team was based in another office, and that made collaboration kind of annoying.
- 5.0Best Job I've Ever HadSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeSan Francisco, California, United StatesApril 19, 2016Pros: Insanely good culture. These folks have nailed it. I feel sincerely cared for, encouraged, welcomed, and part of the family. The mission is really great, and you can feel a buzz of positive energy in every person that works here. Company leadership is remarkably transparent and cares deeply about leading a mission-driven organization in support of the creative class. Creators from the platform often visit the office and share their projects, which makes one feel the impact of our work directly. Frequent jam sessions bring the team together around shared musical interests, and the whole company just feels like an awesome family.Cons: No 401k matching, like many other companies I've worked for, but this is to be expected from an earlier-stage company. Also, no gym membership was provided, although it was advertised in the job description. Not really much to complain about.
- 4.0I worked on the subscription billing projectSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeSan Francisco, California, United StatesApril 10, 2025Pros: It was a great experience at Patreon.Cons: Everything was good enough, nothing like cons out there.
Patreon Interview Questions
