Staff Software Engineer Interview Experience - United States
Process
The recruiter reached out to me and told me they use Karat for the screening, and honestly, I have never liked Karat.
But I went through the interview. The first 20 minutes consisted of five system design questions where you just had to speak. The last 30 minutes were for a coding question.
I solved it, ran all the test cases successfully, and passed optimally.
However, the recruiter reached out to me and told me they will not be moving forward. I am really surprised. I believe this was probably the best tech screening I went through.
Questions
5 system design and one coding question on BFS
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 6 interview experiences for the PayPal Staff Software Engineer role in United States.
Success Rate
PayPal's interview process for their Staff Software Engineer roles in the United States is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having negative feelings for PayPal's Staff Software Engineer interview process in United States.
PayPal Work Experiences
- 2.0Rolling downhill fastStaff Software Engineer • Current EmployeeScottsdale, Arizona, United StatesNovember 18, 2025Pros: Does the paycheck at least clear?Cons: This place is actively running itself into the ground.
- 5.0Good Balance, Us Project FocusStaff Software Engineer • Current EmployeeBengaluru, Karnataka, IndiaNovember 12, 2025Pros: Good work-life balance and culture.Cons: All projects are US-driven, and few are owned by the India team.
- 2.0Good, but too many one-sided managersStaff Software Engineer • Former EmployeeOctober 25, 2025Pros: The product is good, but there is a very low chance to get work on the best products.Cons: One-sided managers, favoring only some team members.
PayPal Interview Questions
