Fastly software engineer interviews, as three candidates describe them, mix conversational recruiter and manager screens with practical testing, debugging and systems design discussions. All three reported no offer.
$169K
Avg. Base Comp
$215K
Avg. Total Comp
Not reported
Typical Rounds
Not reported
Process Length
Fastly's software engineer interviews, as candidates describe them, lean toward practical engineering conversation rather than algorithm puzzles. Three reports are available, and none ended in an offer, so treat the details below as individual accounts rather than a fixed format.
One software engineer described a recruiter screen, a manager interview, then a virtual onsite of more than four hours. It covered a values interview, a technical exercise, systems design, and a testing and observability round. The technical exercise asked how to test a system without mocks or test doubles, which that candidate read as a question about design philosophy. Practice explaining integration testing and what you would observe in production.
A senior software engineer reported a recruiter screen and a 45-minute hiring manager conversation about current projects and how their team collaborates. The next step was described as a pair-style session debugging a buggy app. If that matches your loop, prepare to read unfamiliar code and talk through fixes aloud.
A senior-level candidate reported eight interviews, including SRE, senior engineer group sessions, a VP of engineering, the CTO and a hiring manager. The CTO round went deep on WebAssembly, WASI and open-source contribution. Expect more senior-level breadth than the other two reports describe.
All three candidates described poor communication after the interviews. Ask the recruiter about next steps at each stage and follow up politely.
Synthesized from 3 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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Real interview reports from people who went through the Fastly process.
The process started with a standard recruiter screen, which was pretty straightforward. After that, I had a deeper 45-minute conversation with the hiring manager where we dug into my past experiences and current projects. They asked me to describe what I was working on and how my team was structured — what norms we had in place, how we collaborated, that kind of thing. The vibe felt conversational and genuinely interested in understanding how I actually work day-to-day rather than quizzing me on computer science concepts.
From what I understand, the next step was supposed to be a technical chat with another engineer where we'd review a buggy app together and do some pair-programming-style debugging. That's where things fell apart for me — I got ghosted after the hiring manager round and never heard back about scheduling that final conversation. It was disappointing because the early rounds felt like a genuine fit, and the debugging-focused technical screen seemed like it would've been a good test of how I actually solve problems rather than whiteboard-style coding challenges.
Prep tip from this candidate
Prepare concrete examples of your current projects and team dynamics — Fastly's process digs deep into how you actually work day-to-day. Also be ready for a debugging-focused technical screen where you'll review buggy code and discuss fixes collaboratively, not solve algorithm problems from scratch.
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Sourced from candidate reports and verified by our team.
Topics based on recent interview experiences.
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Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
All three candidates report starting with a recruiter conversation. One software engineer described it as lasting roughly 15 to 30 minutes and feeling conversational and low-pressure. Typically this is where fit and logistics are confirmed, so have a short account of your background ready.
Two candidates describe a manager conversation. One senior software engineer reported 45 minutes on current projects, team structure and collaboration norms. Another described a 30-60 minute mix of technical and cultural topics. Prepare concrete examples of how your team works day to day.
Candidates describe practical rather than puzzle-style technical rounds. One reported a technical exercise about testing a system without mocks. Another was told the next step would be pair-style debugging of a buggy app, though they were never scheduled for it. It may help to practice reviewing unfamiliar code aloud.
One software engineer reported a virtual onsite of more than four hours with built-in breaks. It included a values interview, a technical exercise, systems design, and a testing and observability round, ending with a debrief. Other candidates may see different sequences, so confirm the schedule with your recruiter.
A senior-level candidate reported eight interviews, including an SRE, group sessions with senior engineers, a VP of engineering, the CTO, an HR VP and a hiring manager. The CTO round covered WebAssembly, WASI and open-source contribution. This may apply mainly to more senior roles, so ask what your loop includes.
