Airbnb — Machine Learning Engineer ❌ Failed
Level: Senior-Level
Round: Full Journey · Type: Multiple Types · Difficulty: 7/10 · Duration: 300 min · Interviewer: Unfriendly
Topics: Key-Value Store, System Design, Recommendation Systems, Relisting Problem, Geohash, Behavioral Questions, Machine Learning
Location: San Francisco, CA
Interview date: 2026-01-12
Got offer: False
Summary
Round 1: Coding
Question: Implementation of a Key-Value store. I felt I answered this well, including test cases and follow-up questions.
Round 2: System Design
Question: Design of a classic recommendation system. I answered the questions well.
Round 3: System Design
Question: Relisting problem. The interviewer seemed to have specific answers in mind, making it challenging. We discussed the impact of downstream service evaluation output on online metrics and how to implement geohash. I eventually answered everything.
Round 4: Core Values
Question: Behavioral questions focusing on Airbnb's core values. I felt this round went very well due to thorough preparation.
Round 5: Experience
Question: Deep dive into one of my projects. It went smoothly, but in hindsight, I think the scope of the project I discussed might have been too narrow.
Details
Preparation Tips & Key Takeaways
What I Learned
- It's crucial to consider the scope of projects when discussing experience, even if the preparation materials don't explicitly emphasize it.
- Thorough preparation for behavioral questions, tailored to the company's specific values, is essential.
Recommended Preparation
Coding Practice
- Practice implementing data structures like key-value stores.
- Focus on writing comprehensive test cases and follow-up questions for coding problems.
System Design
- Study classic system design problems like recommendation systems and relisting problems.
- Review techniques like geohashing.
Behavioral Questions
- Prepare detailed examples for behavioral questions, aligning them with the company's core values.
- Practice discussing your projects, paying attention to their scope and impact.
Resources I Recommend
- Review commonly asked interview questions for system design and adapt your answers accordingly.
- Summarize code questions and practice coding to build familiarity and accuracy.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Don't underestimate the importance of project scope in experience-based interviews.
- Be prepared for interviewers to have specific answers in mind for system design questions; be flexible and try to understand their perspective.