The process began with a call from the recruiter, who provided a brief overview of the role and asked general questions to get to know me.

Next, I had two rounds with engineering managers from different teams. The questions focused on my technical understanding of the Autopilot team's various components, such as AI and planning.

Following that was a panel interview. I was given two weeks to prepare a presentation on a technical problem I had worked on. I then presented this to a panel of 4-5 managers from the Autopilot team.

After the panel interview and a short Q&A, I had individual interviews with each panel member. Each interview focused on a different section of the Autopilot team and included questions ranging from programming to assessing my technical understanding of self-driving sub-problems and higher-level product thinking specific to Tesla.

I advanced to the final round, which consisted of two parts. First, I submitted a short written summary of my most significant technical achievements, intended for Elon. Second, I had a one-on-one interview with Ashok, Director of Software at Autopilot.

Although I ultimately did not receive an offer, this was by far the most incredible and supportive interview process I have ever experienced. The entire process took approximately two months, and the recruiter was exceptionally helpful at every stage. Whether it was providing feedback, answering questions regarding my status as an international student, or simply checking in to see how interviews were progressing, the support I received was unlike anything I've experienced, or heard of my peers experiencing. I will definitely be applying to Tesla again in the future.

Primarily a technical understanding of Autopilot.