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AIRBNB · SDE 2

Airbnb SDE 2 interview

The SDE 2 (mid-level software engineer) level at Airbnb is G8 Software Engineer, for engineers with about 2 to 5 years of experience. The rounds at this level, how each one is scored, and the questions to practise first.

From public candidate reports and Airbnb's careers pages, checked November 2026. Processes vary by team. AlgoRung is not affiliated with Airbnb.

Track my Airbnb prep
Airbnb titleG8 Software Engineer
ExperienceEngineers with about 2 to 5 years of experience
Interviews after screeningAbout 7
System design roundYes

The SDE 2 rounds, in order

  1. Phone / recruiter screen · 30 min

    A recruiter call on background, motivation and light behavioral questions.

    At SDE 2: One or two problems, a little faster. Some companies mix in a design question.

  2. Coding (DSA) · 60 min

    The technical screen requires running code, not pseudocode, on medium-hard problems often framed around bookings.

    At SDE 2: Two or three rounds at medium to hard level. You are expected to reach the optimal approach with fewer hints and to test without being asked.

  3. Coding (DSA) × 2 · 60 min

    Onsite coding is reported as harder than average and DP-heavy; senior candidates may get only one coding round.

    At SDE 2: Two or three rounds at medium to hard level. You are expected to reach the optimal approach with fewer hints and to test without being asked.

  4. Team-specific round · 60 min

    Some loops include a code review round where you critique a prepared pull request seeded with bugs.

    At SDE 2: Debugging, integration or code review rounds at product companies.

  5. System design (HLD) · 60 min

    System design with a vague, product-aware prompt that rewards clarifying scope and caring about the user experience.

    At SDE 2: Present at most companies. A sound end-to-end design with sensible components and basic scaling is enough.

  6. Behavioral × 2 · 45 min

    Two core values interviews, often run by trained employees outside the hiring team, which can block an offer on their own.

    At SDE 2: Stories should show you owning features end to end and handling conflict maturely.

  7. Hiring committee

    A committee sets the level, and team matching calls happen before the offer.

    At SDE 2: Committees can down-level you instead of rejecting.

What Airbnb interviewers look for

Behavioral rounds are based on the Core values: Champion the Mission, Be a Host, Embrace the Adventure, Be a Cereal Entrepreneur. Questions for each one.

Coding questions to practise for Airbnb SDE 2

Two or three rounds at medium to hard level. You are expected to reach the optimal approach with fewer hints and to test without being asked.

Difficulty
Topic
6 questions
  1. Alien Dictionary Hard Graphs also Amazon, Meta
  2. Combination Sum (repeating elements) Medium Recursion & Backtracking
  3. Coin Change Medium Dynamic Programming also Google, Goldman Sachs, Salesforce
  4. Cheapest Flights Within K Stops Medium Graphs also Google, Flipkart, Swiggy
  5. Reconstruct Itinerary Hard Graphs also Amazon
  6. Maximum Profit in Job Scheduling Hard Dynamic Programming also Razorpay

How the coding round is scored · The online assessment

System design at SDE 2

Mid-level candidates and above get one design round. Senior and staff candidates are judged on product-driven trade-offs (latency, consistency, user experience) and on scope, not on reciting distributed-systems vocabulary.

All Airbnb system design questions

Questions people ask

How many rounds are in the Airbnb SDE 2 interview?

About 7 interviews after the screening: phone / recruiter screen, coding (dsa), team-specific round, system design (hld), behavioral, hiring committee.

Is there a system design round for Airbnb SDE 2?

Yes. Mid-level candidates and above get one design round. Senior and staff candidates are judged on product-driven trade-offs (latency, consistency, user experience) and on scope, not on reciting distributed-systems vocabulary.

What coding questions does Airbnb ask at SDE 2?

The same question pool is used across levels; the bar rises with level. Most reported: Alien Dictionary, Combination Sum (repeating elements), Coin Change, Cheapest Flights Within K Stops, Reconstruct Itinerary.

What does Airbnb expect in coding rounds at SDE 2?

Two or three rounds at medium to hard level. You are expected to reach the optimal approach with fewer hints and to test without being asked.

SDE 2 interviews at other companies

SDE 2 interview questions across all companies · Behavioral questions