Zipline

Mechanical Engineer Interview Experience - South San Francisco, California

January 28, 2023

Neutral ExperienceNo Offer

Process

I applied online. The process took 5 weeks. It was a somewhat typical interview process for any company with stringent hiring practices:

Recruiter phone screen
Hiring manager Zoom call
Design challenge
Full-day onsite interview with a presentationBe prepared to put in the work to get through this. The design challenge took me 12+ hours, the presentation took 4 hours to prepare, and the onsite interview was a full 8-hour day. In the end, this felt like a ton of free consultation, given the nature of the questions that I was asked. I walked away with the feeling that this company is seeking to be bought. They push hard on "the mission" that does not have long-term feasibility.

Questions

Does your company use inches or millimeters? Redesign this system on our glider. 1 answer.

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Interview Statistics

The following metrics were computed from 2 interview experiences for the Zipline Mechanical Engineer role in South San Francisco, California.

Success Rate

0%

Pass Rate

Zipline's interview process for their Mechanical Engineer roles in South San Francisco, California is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.

Experience Rating

Positive0%

Neutral100%

Negative0%

Candidates reported having mixed feelings for Zipline's Mechanical Engineer interview process in South San Francisco, California.

Zipline Work Experiences

Haste Makes Waste

Mechanical Engineer • Former Employee

South San Francisco, CA

Pros: - Compelling mission and concept for delivery. - Impressive talent to work alongside.

Cons: - Overall culture is busy and stressed, not much to foster friendships - Running unnecessarily lean: very low tolerance to cut you - Toxic culture carried over by former Tesla, SpaceX, etc... - Frequent re-orgs and lots of first-time managers putting blame on you in stressful environment

Haste Makes Waste

Mechanical Engineer • Former Employee

South San Francisco, CA

Pros: - Compelling mission and concept for delivery. - Impressive talent to work alongside.

Cons: - Overall culture is busy and stressed, not much to foster friendships - Running unnecessarily lean: very low tolerance to cut you - Toxic culture carried over by former Tesla, SpaceX, etc... - Frequent re-orgs and lots of first-time managers putting blame on you in stressful environment

Mechanical Engineer

Mechanical Engineer • Current Employee

Half Moon Bay, CA

February 2, 2017

Pros: Great coworkers who really care about what they do. The type of work where there are no stupid questions and everyone is all about becoming better at what we do collectively. Location is also great. Beautiful views from the office and the commute is reverse what most people do. So unless you're coming from East Bay there really isn't much traffic at all. Company catered lunch every day is delicious, and dinner provided is also fantastic.

Cons: Lots of workaholics in one place makes it uncommon to leave at 5pm. Hopefully if you come work with us that's something you're down with. People also seem to think they need to give excuses when they take a half day or are out of the office to handle personal matters.

Mechanical Engineer

Mechanical Engineer • Current Employee

Half Moon Bay, CA

February 2, 2017

Pros: Great coworkers who really care about what they do. The type of work where there are no stupid questions and everyone is all about becoming better at what we do collectively. Location is also great. Beautiful views from the office and the commute is reverse what most people do. So unless you're coming from East Bay there really isn't much traffic at all. Company catered lunch every day is delicious, and dinner provided is also fantastic.

Cons: Lots of workaholics in one place makes it uncommon to leave at 5pm. Hopefully if you come work with us that's something you're down with. People also seem to think they need to give excuses when they take a half day or are out of the office to handle personal matters.

Positive

Mechanical Engineer • Current Employee

October 11, 2021

Pros: Working with people that care a lot about what they do and being able to see and connect with your impact as an individual on a near daily basis is rewarding.

Cons: They give big responsibilities to junior folks and have really tight development timelines. This can sometimes cause predictable program delays.

Mechanical Engineer • Current Employee

October 11, 2021

Pros: Working with people that care a lot about what they do and being able to see and connect with your impact as an individual on a near daily basis is rewarding.

Cons: They give big responsibilities to junior folks and have really tight development timelines. This can sometimes cause predictable program delays.

Haste Makes Waste

Mechanical Engineer • Former Employee

South San Francisco, CA

Pros: - Compelling mission and concept for delivery. - Impressive talent to work alongside.

Cons: - Overall culture is busy and stressed, not much to foster friendships - Running unnecessarily lean: very low tolerance to cut you - Toxic culture carried over by former Tesla, SpaceX, etc... - Frequent re-orgs and lots of first-time managers putting blame on you in stressful environment

3.0
Haste Makes Waste
Mechanical Engineer • Former Employee
South San Francisco, CA
June 17, 2024
Pros: - Compelling mission and concept for delivery. - Impressive talent to work alongside.
Cons: - Overall culture is busy and stressed, not much to foster friendships - Running unnecessarily lean: very low tolerance to cut you - Toxic culture carried over by former Tesla, SpaceX, etc... - Frequent re-orgs and lots of first-time managers putting blame on you in stressful environment

Mechanical Engineer

Mechanical Engineer • Current Employee

Half Moon Bay, CA

February 2, 2017

Pros: Great coworkers who really care about what they do. The type of work where there are no stupid questions and everyone is all about becoming better at what we do collectively. Location is also great. Beautiful views from the office and the commute is reverse what most people do. So unless you're coming from East Bay there really isn't much traffic at all. Company catered lunch every day is delicious, and dinner provided is also fantastic.

Cons: Lots of workaholics in one place makes it uncommon to leave at 5pm. Hopefully if you come work with us that's something you're down with. People also seem to think they need to give excuses when they take a half day or are out of the office to handle personal matters.

5.0
Mechanical Engineer
Mechanical Engineer • Current Employee
Half Moon Bay, CA
February 2, 2017
Pros: Great coworkers who really care about what they do. The type of work where there are no stupid questions and everyone is all about becoming better at what we do collectively. Location is also great. Beautiful views from the office and the commute is reverse what most people do. So unless you're coming from East Bay there really isn't much traffic at all. Company catered lunch every day is delicious, and dinner provided is also fantastic.
Cons: Lots of workaholics in one place makes it uncommon to leave at 5pm. Hopefully if you come work with us that's something you're down with. People also seem to think they need to give excuses when they take a half day or are out of the office to handle personal matters.

Positive

Mechanical Engineer • Current Employee

October 11, 2021

Pros: Working with people that care a lot about what they do and being able to see and connect with your impact as an individual on a near daily basis is rewarding.

Cons: They give big responsibilities to junior folks and have really tight development timelines. This can sometimes cause predictable program delays.

5.0
Positive
Mechanical Engineer • Current Employee
October 11, 2021
Pros: Working with people that care a lot about what they do and being able to see and connect with your impact as an individual on a near daily basis is rewarding.
Cons: They give big responsibilities to junior folks and have really tight development timelines. This can sometimes cause predictable program delays.

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