Turo Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

First, I met with the Directory and Manager, and we discussed the company, my background, and upcoming Turo projects. Then, there was a take-home project where I had to use the Yelp API to display results for a specific call. After that, I reviewed the take-home project with three engineers. We talked about the project's strengths, my tech stack choices, and the trade-offs I made given the time constraints. We also discussed potential refactoring. Next, there was a System Design interview focusing on API design and data modeling, involving a three-step prompt that built upon itself to create an API for a specific goal. Finally, I had interviews with the Engineering Hiring Manager. The first was with the person who would have been the manager, as the actual hiring manager was on parental leave. Once the actual hiring manager returned, I had a final interview with them, where they elaborated on typical projects and the kind of work I'd be doing.

I'm sharing my Turo hiring experience because it was pretty disappointing. I interviewed for a role and went through 6 rounds. I got really positive feedback, but then found out the job was filled. After 3 weeks, I was contacted about another opening. I interviewed with the hiring manager, but then heard nothing. A month later, I was approached again for a different role. I was the first to interview, hoping this time would be different. It was another long, frustrating experience. I waited 45 days, and my follow-ups were ignored or got vague answers. After 45 days, I got an automated email saying the position was filled. I put a lot of time and effort into this, and it's disappointing. I think how companies treat candidates matters, especially now. We need empathy and respect. I hope Turo can improve its hiring process to be more positive and respectful for everyone.

Started with an hour-long tech screen. The full interview loop included: Architecture (discussing distributed systems and component selection), Problem solving (coding and SQL), API design (covering various formats, request/response details, methods, status codes), Product management (handling ambiguous situations and strategizing solutions), Behavioral questions (using the 'tell me about a time' format), and an interview with the engineering lead (VP or Director). The leader interview is highlighted as important, emphasizing authenticity.