Airbnb Senior Software Engineer Interview Preparation Guide

Airbnb's interview process for senior software engineers is a rigorous, multi-stage evaluation designed to assess both technical expertise and leadership capabilities. The process follows a standardized, fully-centralized format where all candidates proceed through the same pipeline before team matching occurs at the end. For senior-level candidates, the process emphasizes system design proficiency, architectural thinking, and leadership qualities alongside coding fundamentals. Expect a strong focus on scalability, distributed systems, cross-functional collaboration, and your ability to mentor and influence technical direction.