Senior Software Engineer Interview Experience - Los Gatos, California
Process
The first few interviews were standard. I was asked standard questions, ranging from how multithreading works to bitwise operations.
I did have one interviewer who asked a question whose requirements I could not understand. He wrote a bizarre function name on the whiteboard and said I must use this to code my solution. I kept asking how this function worked and what its return values were. He became annoyed, refused to answer my questions, and said every other interviewee understood his question and answered it without further information.
I tried to answer it a few times, but without understanding the requirements and given his refusal to clarify, I decided not to worry much, since this was clearly intended to be a hostile interview. I typically avoid companies that use a hostile interviewing technique.
Another warning sign was that the manager described a very interesting job, but the engineers contradicted the manager and said the job was just an integration role, with no new coding to be done.
After the interviews, I feel that I dodged a bullet and that Roku's culture and job would be a poor fit for me. I am hoping Roku's opinion will concur that I am a poor fit for them.
Questions
Asked standard questions, ranging from how multi-threading works to bitwise operations.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 13 interview experiences for the Roku Senior Software Engineer role in Los Gatos, California.
Success Rate
Roku's interview process for their Senior Software Engineer roles in Los Gatos, California is fairly selective, failing a large portion of engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Roku's Senior Software Engineer interview process in Los Gatos, California.
Roku Work Experiences
- 4.0Sr. Software EngineerSenior Software Engineer • Current EmployeeLos Gatos, California, United StatesSeptember 25, 2018Pros: Great work environment. Flexible hours. Great office location.Cons: None I can think of.
- 5.0Huge potential to be a game-changer in the TV OS industrySenior Software Engineer • Current EmployeeLos Gatos, California, United StatesSeptember 10, 2019Pros: 1. Strategic moves in the right direction, for example, The Roku Channel, Roku TV program, and audio products. 2. Very quick in learning from mistakes and ditching fancy buzz projects early in the stage. 3. The best talent in the industry, from Machine learning and AI engineers all the way to SOC gurus. 4. The vision of the CEO, Anthony, to power every TV in the world! 5. Very competitive pay and the best in the industry. I think better than FANG.Cons: 1. Slow in international expansion. I'd suggest all resources focus on international. 2. Middle management is getting out of control. Let engineers freely work.
- 1.0Bad directors who have been at Roku for 5+ yearsSenior Software Engineer • Current EmployeeLos Gatos, California, United StatesDecember 1, 2019Pros: Free food and a new campus that's just been built.Cons: The middle management, especially the directors who have been at Roku for five plus years, do not have Roku's best interest in mind. Anthony creates a "What Makes a Great Manager at Roku" in Confluence and lists having Roku's best interest in mind as a bullet item. However, the middle managers are more interested in looking good to Anthony rather than releasing product with high quality. Engineers who have high quality in mind but need to ruffle feathers to ensure quality are looked down upon as not collaborative. Some team managers hire people they have worked with in the past, who are more like minions to them rather than people suitable for the jobs. These minions are given first priority on bonus, compensation increases, promotions, stock grants, and better seating when they move to the new campus. These benefits are not based on how valuable they are as Roku employees, but how much of a "minion" and subservient they are to middle management. This is what counts for compensation increases and better seating in the new campus. Anthony is not aware of this. These same managers say Anthony is a brutal, dictatorial leader behind his back, yet seem to suck up to him in front. Anthony is therefore oblivious of this. Anthony is a visionary leader with great insights into the industry. True, he can be fixated at times, but his guidance has always been a good thing in projects. However, he does not see through the vile behavior of his reports. Anthony has high IQ but low EQ because, though he founded a great company, he does not see through vile behavior from the directors who have worked at Roku for more than 5 years. Unfortunately, the engineers who feel this way are too scared to go and talk to Anthony Woods.
Roku Interview Questions
