Udemy

Lead Software Engineer Interview Experience - San Francisco, California

June 1, 2016

Positive ExperienceNo Offer

Process

Initially, I met with a Director of Engineering for Udemy at a school event. They invited me in for a quick informational meeting two weeks later. I went to the office, met some of the team, and discussed the interview process at length.

The following week, I was given a coding challenge to complete on Friday. Then, I came in the following week to present my work. There was a 45-minute session with one group, another 45-minute session with another, then lunch.

They asked for my feedback about the process, which I provided. They said they'd get back to me the following week with a decision after interviewing several other candidates.

Almost exactly a week after the on-site, I received a very polite rejection email providing feedback about my code and encouragement to stay in touch, as new positions are always opening up.

Questions

How could you break this function?

What would be a way to keep access tokens secure in production?

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Interview Statistics

The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Udemy Lead Software Engineer role in San Francisco, California.

Success Rate

0%

Pass Rate

Udemy's interview process for their Lead Software Engineer roles in San Francisco, California is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.

Experience Rating

Positive100%

Neutral0%

Negative0%

Candidates reported having very good feelings for Udemy's Lead Software Engineer interview process in San Francisco, California.

Udemy Work Experiences

These reviews are BS

Software Engineer • Former Employee

San Francisco, California, United States

Pros: Okay, if you are a workaholic.

Cons: There is no path to promotion unless you do as they say and get yourself in front of the right people. You have to totally play the game here. Also, major burnout. You just can’t keep up with the pace. Everyone is burnt to a crisp. So much turnover.

These reviews are BS

Software Engineer • Former Employee

San Francisco, California, United States

Pros: Okay, if you are a workaholic.

Cons: There is no path to promotion unless you do as they say and get yourself in front of the right people. You have to totally play the game here. Also, major burnout. You just can’t keep up with the pace. Everyone is burnt to a crisp. So much turnover.

Smart People, Cool Initiatives

Eng Team • Current Employee

San Francisco, California, United States

November 20, 2019

Pros: Udemy is a truly unique company to work for. Incredibly smart people are working on complex, interesting problems. The company prides itself on its culture, and that is certainly a tone set from the top down. The tech bar is quite high, and the Eng team is working on some super cool initiatives throughout the next year. There are lots of cool, challenging problems to solve. Culture is one of transparency, being open to giving/receiving feedback, great work/life balance, strong leadership, and room for upward mobility.

Cons: Nothing that jumps out as of yet.

Smart People, Cool Initiatives

Eng Team • Current Employee

San Francisco, California, United States

November 20, 2019

Pros: Udemy is a truly unique company to work for. Incredibly smart people are working on complex, interesting problems. The company prides itself on its culture, and that is certainly a tone set from the top down. The tech bar is quite high, and the Eng team is working on some super cool initiatives throughout the next year. There are lots of cool, challenging problems to solve. Culture is one of transparency, being open to giving/receiving feedback, great work/life balance, strong leadership, and room for upward mobility.

Cons: Nothing that jumps out as of yet.

Good Product, Bad 401k

Principal Engineer • Current Employee

San Francisco, California, United States

September 12, 2021

Pros: The company is great. The CEO is amazing and shares a lot of updates amongst the teams. The product is good. It has seen amazing growth in the last couple of years due to the pandemic. Get to work on great products. Plus, there's an emphasis on fun and education. Free food (pre-pandemic).

Cons: -401k match is limited to $500 a year, which is a joke. I once calculated that even with the free food and all the fun things here, this factor alone made my old employer, who did not even provide soda in the kitchen, better off. Plus, what is worse is that the recruiter said, 'Oh, we match 401k,' while carefully hiding the limit. The match is also structured in such a way that it is matched in January for the entire last year, so most people will not get this in their last year. Just some salt on the wound. -Levels: I was a senior staff engineer and realized that the pay levels were much lower compared to other companies. This also means that the potential to grow is less. For example, I was hired as a senior staff with a senior salary, which means that the expectations for my role were high and the salary, well, low. -Culture and Diversity: This is mixed. There seems to be an overemphasis on getting some sections of society, but at the same time, there's no real emphasis on some other demographic groups. So sometimes the talk of diversity seems to be biased. -Lack of transparency: People are let go, and teams keep guessing about what went wrong.

Good Product, Bad 401k

Principal Engineer • Current Employee

San Francisco, California, United States

September 12, 2021

Pros: The company is great. The CEO is amazing and shares a lot of updates amongst the teams. The product is good. It has seen amazing growth in the last couple of years due to the pandemic. Get to work on great products. Plus, there's an emphasis on fun and education. Free food (pre-pandemic).

Cons: -401k match is limited to $500 a year, which is a joke. I once calculated that even with the free food and all the fun things here, this factor alone made my old employer, who did not even provide soda in the kitchen, better off. Plus, what is worse is that the recruiter said, 'Oh, we match 401k,' while carefully hiding the limit. The match is also structured in such a way that it is matched in January for the entire last year, so most people will not get this in their last year. Just some salt on the wound. -Levels: I was a senior staff engineer and realized that the pay levels were much lower compared to other companies. This also means that the potential to grow is less. For example, I was hired as a senior staff with a senior salary, which means that the expectations for my role were high and the salary, well, low. -Culture and Diversity: This is mixed. There seems to be an overemphasis on getting some sections of society, but at the same time, there's no real emphasis on some other demographic groups. So sometimes the talk of diversity seems to be biased. -Lack of transparency: People are let go, and teams keep guessing about what went wrong.

These reviews are BS

Software Engineer • Former Employee

San Francisco, California, United States

Pros: Okay, if you are a workaholic.

Cons: There is no path to promotion unless you do as they say and get yourself in front of the right people. You have to totally play the game here. Also, major burnout. You just can’t keep up with the pace. Everyone is burnt to a crisp. So much turnover.

1.0
These reviews are BS
Software Engineer • Former Employee
San Francisco, California, United States
May 28, 2021
Pros: Okay, if you are a workaholic.
Cons: There is no path to promotion unless you do as they say and get yourself in front of the right people. You have to totally play the game here. Also, major burnout. You just can’t keep up with the pace. Everyone is burnt to a crisp. So much turnover.

Smart People, Cool Initiatives

Eng Team • Current Employee

San Francisco, California, United States

November 20, 2019

Pros: Udemy is a truly unique company to work for. Incredibly smart people are working on complex, interesting problems. The company prides itself on its culture, and that is certainly a tone set from the top down. The tech bar is quite high, and the Eng team is working on some super cool initiatives throughout the next year. There are lots of cool, challenging problems to solve. Culture is one of transparency, being open to giving/receiving feedback, great work/life balance, strong leadership, and room for upward mobility.

Cons: Nothing that jumps out as of yet.

5.0
Smart People, Cool Initiatives
Eng Team • Current Employee
San Francisco, California, United States
November 20, 2019
Pros: Udemy is a truly unique company to work for. Incredibly smart people are working on complex, interesting problems. The company prides itself on its culture, and that is certainly a tone set from the top down. The tech bar is quite high, and the Eng team is working on some super cool initiatives throughout the next year. There are lots of cool, challenging problems to solve. Culture is one of transparency, being open to giving/receiving feedback, great work/life balance, strong leadership, and room for upward mobility.
Cons: Nothing that jumps out as of yet.

Good Product, Bad 401k

Principal Engineer • Current Employee

San Francisco, California, United States

September 12, 2021

Pros: The company is great. The CEO is amazing and shares a lot of updates amongst the teams. The product is good. It has seen amazing growth in the last couple of years due to the pandemic. Get to work on great products. Plus, there's an emphasis on fun and education. Free food (pre-pandemic).

Cons: -401k match is limited to $500 a year, which is a joke. I once calculated that even with the free food and all the fun things here, this factor alone made my old employer, who did not even provide soda in the kitchen, better off. Plus, what is worse is that the recruiter said, 'Oh, we match 401k,' while carefully hiding the limit. The match is also structured in such a way that it is matched in January for the entire last year, so most people will not get this in their last year. Just some salt on the wound. -Levels: I was a senior staff engineer and realized that the pay levels were much lower compared to other companies. This also means that the potential to grow is less. For example, I was hired as a senior staff with a senior salary, which means that the expectations for my role were high and the salary, well, low. -Culture and Diversity: This is mixed. There seems to be an overemphasis on getting some sections of society, but at the same time, there's no real emphasis on some other demographic groups. So sometimes the talk of diversity seems to be biased. -Lack of transparency: People are let go, and teams keep guessing about what went wrong.

3.0
Good Product, Bad 401k
Principal Engineer • Current Employee
San Francisco, California, United States
September 12, 2021
Pros: The company is great. The CEO is amazing and shares a lot of updates amongst the teams. The product is good. It has seen amazing growth in the last couple of years due to the pandemic. Get to work on great products. Plus, there's an emphasis on fun and education. Free food (pre-pandemic).
Cons: -401k match is limited to $500 a year, which is a joke. I once calculated that even with the free food and all the fun things here, this factor alone made my old employer, who did not even provide soda in the kitchen, better off. Plus, what is worse is that the recruiter said, 'Oh, we match 401k,' while carefully hiding the limit. The match is also structured in such a way that it is matched in January for the entire last year, so most people will not get this in their last year. Just some salt on the wound. -Levels: I was a senior staff engineer and realized that the pay levels were much lower compared to other companies. This also means that the potential to grow is less. For example, I was hired as a senior staff with a senior salary, which means that the expectations for my role were high and the salary, well, low. -Culture and Diversity: This is mixed. There seems to be an overemphasis on getting some sections of society, but at the same time, there's no real emphasis on some other demographic groups. So sometimes the talk of diversity seems to be biased. -Lack of transparency: People are let go, and teams keep guessing about what went wrong.

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