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AIRBNB · SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER (SDE 3)

Airbnb senior engineer interview

The senior software engineer (SDE 3) level at Airbnb is G9 Senior Software Engineer, for senior engineers with about 5 to 10 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 titleG9 Senior Software Engineer
ExperienceSenior engineers with about 5 to 10 years of experience
Interviews after screeningAbout 7
System design roundYes

The Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3) rounds, in order

  1. Phone / recruiter screen · 30 min

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

    At Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3): Often a coding problem plus questions about your past systems; some companies (Uber) use it to set your level.

  2. Coding (DSA) · 60 min

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

    At Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3): Usually two rounds. Same difficulty, but interviewers expect quick, confident problem solving and production-quality code.

  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 Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3): Usually two rounds. Same difficulty, but interviewers expect quick, confident problem solving and production-quality code.

  4. Team-specific round · 60 min

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

    At Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3): Project deep dives become central: scope, trade-offs and what you would do differently.

  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 Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3): One or two rounds that set your level. Expected to lead, size the system and go deep on two or three hard parts.

  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 Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3): Expected scope: projects across quarters, influencing other teams, mentoring.

  7. Hiring committee

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

    At Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3): Down-leveling to SDE 2 is the most common surprise outcome.

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 Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3)

Usually two rounds. Same difficulty, but interviewers expect quick, confident problem solving and production-quality code.

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 Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3)

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 Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3) 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 Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3)?

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 Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3)?

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 Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3)?

Usually two rounds. Same difficulty, but interviewers expect quick, confident problem solving and production-quality code.

Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3) interviews at other companies

Senior Software Engineer (SDE 3) interview questions across all companies · Behavioral questions