Skydio Interview Questions
& Process

The hiring process was really fast and efficient. It took less than four weeks from the initial HR call to getting the offer. They asked really direct and pertinent questions. It started with a recruiter chat, followed by two technical interviews, and wrapped up with a final panel interview. I got feedback within a day after the panel.

I went through a really thorough interview process for a customer-facing operations role. It involved seven interviews with people from different departments and at various seniority levels. The final stage was a deep-dive panel presentation that required several days of prep. The interviewers were smart, mission-driven, and generous with their time, and I had good interactions with everyone. However, after all the stages and the time I spent researching, prepping a deck, and getting ready for each chat, I got a generic rejection email with no feedback, which was disappointing. They expect you to bring your best, but don't offer the same level of respect or effort back. For a company in cutting-edge tech, I expected more humanity and transparency on the people side.

I applied for a 'Flight Test Operator -- Hardware Validation' role, which might also be called 'Flight Test Engineer'. First, I had a recruiter call, and then right away, a technical interview. After passing that, I got scheduled for a third interview, also technical. It seemed to go well, and they told me about the final on-site interviews which involve a project and presentation. I was looking forward to it. I got rejected a week later though. The questions were good, and I heard Skydio is organized. This was my first time interviewing in this industry, so I didn't know how to prepare for the technical interviews. The first technical interview was on flight dynamics, drone stabilization, and testing prototypes for things like GPS or high-altitude readiness. The second technical interview focused on debugging hypothetical drone issues, some leaning towards software. They asked why a camera feed might be wrong, why a battery might read low after landing, and how to fix input lag during obstacle avoidance. I thought I did okay in the first, but maybe not the second.

I applied online and a recruiter called me a few days later. She immediately started pushing me towards role B, even though I felt unqualified. She insisted I might be a good fit because the role was proving hard to fill. The next couple of weeks involved 3 separate interviews where it became evident they were focused on role B. Ultimately, I was told they needed more senior experience for both roles A and B, which I found amusing given my age compared to some interviewers and the lack of challenging questions. The organizational structure was confusing with a lot of overlap. Their market strategy seems shaky, with consumer and enterprise efforts not working out, leaving law enforcement and military as their main markets based on a 'we aren't Chinese' advantage. It's now been 3 months and both roles are still posted, so they must be seeking very experienced candidates.