Principal Software Engineer Interview Experience - United States
Process
I submitted my resume through a LinkedIn job posting.
I immediately received a response from a Tableau/SFDC recruiter.
I met with the hiring manager to determine there was a mutual fit.
I then went through four rounds of interviews.
Another call followed with the hiring manager and the next-level-up manager to confirm the scope of work.
The recruiter subsequently followed up with the offer details.
The RSU and multi-year sign-on bonus were very generous. I could also tell there would be good work-life balance, and I would have gotten along very well with the manager. However, I eventually declined the offer for a startup instead.
Overall, it was a great experience with Tableau and SFDC recruiting. The total time spent was 3.5 weeks.
Questions
Run-length encoding binary tree validation. Cost-based optimizer design. LRU cache design. Couple STAR-based leadership questions.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Tableau Principal Software Engineer role in United States.
Success Rate
Tableau's interview process for their Principal Software Engineer roles in the United States is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Tableau's Principal Software Engineer interview process in United States.
Tableau Work Experiences
- 4.0InternshipSoftware Engineer(Internship) • Former EmployeeSeattle, WANovember 11, 2025Pros: Nice location, nice class of interns. Good support from the team (you have a mentor, etc.)Cons: I joined during the merger with Salesforce so it was very chaotic.
- 4.0Reasonably DecentSoftware Engineer LMTS • Current EmployeeVancouver, BCOctober 21, 2025Pros: Legacy Tableau culture still around in the community, vestiges in the workplace. Still opportunity for growth in new areas of product. Salesforce isn't the worst parent company to work for. In-office culture is good.Cons: Tableau leadership can't figure out if they want to invest in current Tableau or some new Salesforce-native version of Tableau. Most teams aren't in-office, so in-office culture is not with your team, just people in the office (in Vancouver that is). Random layoffs sometimes to try and reduce operational costs mean long time people are let go, or long time people give up and go. Tableau has gone from an engineering-driven company to a sales-driven company. Yes sales pay the bills, but it's not like Tableau isn't making money.
- 2.0super politicalSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeApril 4, 2025Pros: gas works park is pretty coolCons: political racist managers all around
