Google DeepMind Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

Applied online, and about 3 weeks later, I got an email from a recruiter asking for my availability for a call, and they also mentioned an NDA. I sent over my availability for two weeks starting the following Monday. However, the recruiter never scheduled the call or sent the NDA. I followed up on Thursday, and the recruiter said she was traveling the next week and asked if I could do the call that Friday or if we could find another time. I confirmed I could do it on Friday, but again, I received no response. I waited two more weeks thinking she might be on vacation, but still heard nothing. I sent another follow-up email, still no reply. I then reapplied online and got an automated rejection email stating a cooldown period, which was confusing since I never actually got notified of a rejection, only that the call wasn't scheduled. It felt like they were just collecting data, which was really disappointing from a company like Google.

Had 5 stages in the interview process. They included 2 coding interviews, an architecture design interview, a behavioral interview, and a final chat with the hiring manager. The recruiters were kinda distant and didn't respond much, but the interviewers were really nice and the interviews themselves were pretty good.

This was a super long and draining interview process. It started with a few phone/video calls with technical questions and a general technical quiz. Some questions were like trivia from university, asking to define concepts without much relevance to the actual job. The interviewers in this stage seemed randomly assigned and not necessarily people you'd work with. It was common for the same questions to be asked by multiple people, and sometimes interviewers even checked if you'd already been asked a question. These questions felt very disconnected from typical software development compared to other companies. When I provided detailed answers based on my experience, the interviewers seemed to have a superficial understanding, more of a simple 'knows/doesn't know' check. Then came the all-day onsite interview with about 7 people. There was a mix of technical interviewers and managers. The managers asked odd questions that seemed designed to gauge your approach to things indirectly, feeling more like a therapy session than an interview. I got a really negative impression of them and their indirect communication style. The whole onsite was exhausting; it was tough to stay focused and positive by the end. Many interviewers repeated questions and expected me to re-ask about the company and role. The structure and the reason for meeting everyone felt arbitrary. Breaks were short and often cut short by interviewers running over time. It was hard to get clear info about the role. I suspected the actual job might be much simpler than the interview process suggested. Their cultural fit seemed to focus on hiring people who are passionate about DeepMind, possibly prioritizing company interests over individual expertise, which gave off a cult-like vibe and made me lose interest. The London location has pros and cons, and the open-plan office with small desks felt cramped. People in the hallways seemed detached and smug, and the atmosphere wasn't welcoming. Despite getting positive initial feedback right after the interviews, I later received an email stating they wouldn't extend an offer, with no specific reason given, as if they just changed their minds.