anthropic | Software Engineer | Interview Experience
Interview Date: Not specified
Result: Not specified
Difficulty: Not specified
Interview Process
The interview process included several rounds. The candidate faced a coding challenge that involved finding duplicate files in a system. The candidate felt unprepared for this part and panicked initially. The interviewer reassured them not to worry too much about the overall correctness. There was a discussion about using a thread pool instead of writing a custom asynchronous parser.
The culture interview focused on handling feedback that can be emotionally difficult to accept. The candidate reflected on the importance of principles learned from Stripe, emphasizing learning from past mistakes.
In the design interview, the candidate was asked detailed questions regarding API design, scaling, monitoring, and GPU utilization, including estimating the number of GPUs needed based on given traffic.
The candidate also presented a project for 25 minutes, which seemed to go well, as the interviewer was engaged and provided helpful tips for improvement. The behavioral interview covered past projects and felt routine, although the candidate noted that this round lasted only about 30 minutes.
Technical Questions
- Find Duplicate Files in System (Coding)
- API Design (Design)
- GPU Utilization (Design)
Tips & Insights
The candidate felt that, aside from the coding challenge, the interviews went well. They recommend being prepared for coding questions and understanding system design principles. It’s also beneficial to approach feedback constructively and be ready to discuss past experiences in detail.