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UBER · STAFF SOFTWARE ENGINEER

Uber staff engineer interview

The staff and principal software engineer level at Uber is L5B Staff, L6 Senior Staff, for staff, principal and senior staff engineers. The rounds at this level, how each one is scored, and the questions to practise first.

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

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Uber titleL5B Staff, L6 Senior Staff
ExperienceStaff, principal and senior staff engineers
Interviews after screeningAbout 5
System design roundYes

The Staff Software Engineer rounds, in order

  1. Phone / recruiter screen · 30 min

    A recruiter call on background, the target business line and why Uber.

    At Staff Software Engineer: Frequently a hiring-manager conversation about scope and impact instead of pure coding.

  2. Coding (DSA) · 60 min

    The business phone screen mixes coding with some design, and largely sets the level you interview for.

    At Staff Software Engineer: One or two rounds, sometimes design-flavoured (build a small class with several methods). Coding is a bar to clear, not where level is decided.

  3. Coding (DSA) · 60 min

    Onsite Coding 1 covers algorithms and data structures at medium-hard level; graphs and DP are common.

    At Staff Software Engineer: One or two rounds, sometimes design-flavoured (build a small class with several methods). Coding is a bar to clear, not where level is decided.

  4. System design (HLD) · 60 min

    System design focused on scale, async processing and failure handling, sometimes starting from your own past work.

    At Staff Software Engineer: Two rounds at many companies. Expected to handle ambiguity, cost, operations and cross-team trade-offs, and to change the design when the interviewer pushes.

  5. Hiring manager · 60 min

    Collaboration & Leadership: a behavioral round, usually with the hiring manager, on past projects and conflicts.

    At Staff Software Engineer: Strategy, influence without authority and the biggest bets you have made.

  6. Bar raiser · 60 min

    A cross-org Bar Raiser runs a project deep dive or reverse design, carries a lot of weight for leveling, and moderates the debrief.

    At Staff Software Engineer: Org-level impact and judgment.

What Uber interviewers look for

Behavioral rounds are based on the Interview competencies (official interview guide): Collaboration & Leadership, Design & Architecture, Software Engineering, Adaptability, Bias Towards Action, Entrepreneurial, Grit, Interpersonal Influence…. Questions for each one.

Coding questions to practise for Uber Staff Software Engineer

One or two rounds, sometimes design-flavoured (build a small class with several methods). Coding is a bar to clear, not where level is decided.

Difficulty
Topic
4 questions
  1. Evaluate Division Medium Graphs also Stripe
  2. Surrounded Regions Medium Graphs
  3. Course Schedule Medium Graphs also Google, Amazon, Netflix +1
  4. Longest Repeating Character Replacement Medium Arrays & Hashing also Adobe

How the coding round is scored · The online assessment

System design at Staff Software Engineer

L4 candidates get one standard HLD round. At L5A and above, design weighs more and is checked again by the Bar Raiser through a deep dive on your own past systems.

All Uber system design questions

Questions people ask

How many rounds are in the Uber Staff Software Engineer interview?

About 5 interviews after the screening: phone / recruiter screen, coding (dsa), system design (hld), hiring manager, bar raiser.

Is there a system design round for Uber Staff Software Engineer?

Yes. L4 candidates get one standard HLD round. At L5A and above, design weighs more and is checked again by the Bar Raiser through a deep dive on your own past systems.

What coding questions does Uber ask at Staff Software Engineer?

The same question pool is used across levels; the bar rises with level. Most reported: Evaluate Division, Surrounded Regions, Course Schedule, Longest Repeating Character Replacement.

What does Uber expect in coding rounds at Staff Software Engineer?

One or two rounds, sometimes design-flavoured (build a small class with several methods). Coding is a bar to clear, not where level is decided.

Staff Software Engineer interviews at other companies

Staff Software Engineer interview questions across all companies · Behavioral questions