Software Engineer - New Grad Interview Experience - Mountain View, California
Process
OA - LeetCode Hard in 1 hour, passed all test cases.
Virtual Coding Interview - LeetCode Medium, 1 hour, went well.
Onsite - 2 LeetCode Hards and a project implementation that lasted 1.5 hours. I got the optimal solution for one of the coding questions, and for the other, I got a partially optimal but correct solution.
I was immediately rejected on the spot without being given the project implementation. They made me code on a laptop, even though they flew me out to Mountain View, so I don't understand why they called me in person if they were just going to make me code on a laptop via CoderPad.
I felt disrespected by the immediate rejection instead of a holistic decision. They should have at least conducted the onsite online if they were simply going to have me code on a laptop instead of doing a whiteboard session.
Questions
LeetCode Hards:
Graph and String Questions
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Windsurf Software Engineer - New Grad role in Mountain View, California.
Success Rate
Windsurf's interview process for their Software Engineer - New Grad roles in Mountain View, California is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very negative feelings for Windsurf's Software Engineer - New Grad interview process in Mountain View, California.
Windsurf Work Experiences
- 5.0Good work cultureSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesSeptember 22, 2025Pros: A fast-paced work environment drives continuous learning, adaptability, and growth, while keeping you constantly challenged.Cons: Working long hours, sometimes during the weekends.
- 5.0Great Place To WorkSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesOctober 1, 2024Pros: Very smart people here, a lot to learn.Cons: Longer hours, but that is expected in a startup.
- 5.0Fast-paced, Growing Company That's FUN!Engineer • Current EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesAugust 21, 2024Pros: Growing - We're in the market and building the best AI coding assistant in the world. It feels great to be a part of it. Smart, nice people - Everyone I work with is smarter than me and just as nice. I enjoy coming in every day. Fun energy - There's always something happening in the company, with game nights and outside activities and sports opportunities. It's just a great energy. SMART leadership - Varun (CEO) and Douglas (CTO) are two of the smartest engineers I've met. Varun has a vision and a plan, which is amazing. I'm not sure what Douglas can't do. The leadership and culture they've built are going to pay dividends when we're 10x larger and more.Cons: It's a startup – expect to put in the time. There is no one who is burned out from doing monotonous activities or in the office just to get points. Everyone is motivated by our mission and customers. Being a startup, we've got a bit of growing up to do, so there's no end of challenges. But for our age, we're far enough in the product development that we've gone from 0 to 1, unlike others. Now we're going to go from 1 to the moon. Pretty motivating. In-office – it's 5 days a week in the office. I don't mind. It's honestly better to be in person and have all your peers around you than the hybrid or full remote thing, and it feels like we're getting more done. It's just not for everyone. If you have to WFH, it's not the company for you. That being said, no one looks at you funny if you come in at 10:30 am and leave at 8 pm, or come at 8 am and leave at 6 pm. I personally like it. It doesn't feel forced, but it is definitely core to our culture to work side-by-side.
