H2O.ai software engineer candidates report an HR or phone screen and a technical conversation. Two describe a take-home, one of which used H2O Wave. Outcomes were mixed: one offer and two candidates without offers.
$108K
Avg. Base Comp
$140K
Avg. Total Comp
Not reported
Typical Rounds
Not reported
Process Length
The H2O.ai software engineering reports center on the company's own stack. One internship candidate was asked about familiarity with H2O Wave, the company's Python application framework. They then received a take-home and finished with an HR call, and they received an offer. Another candidate, interviewing for a software developer role, describes a phone screen and a roughly 20-minute technical call. That call included an easy LeetCode-style problem, some Linux commands, and a discussion of prior work. The same candidate was then asked to build a small H2O Wave app, which took three to four days. They submitted it by email and report hearing nothing back.
A third candidate, for a software engineer role, was rejected after the first conversation with a director. Their account is mostly about rescheduling and confusion over the meeting time, and it does not describe the questions. Treat the scheduling issues as one person's experience rather than a pattern.
In practice, spend your preparation time on three things. First, build something small in H2O Wave before you apply. Second, practice an easy coding problem under tight time pressure, and review basic Linux commands. Third, be ready to explain your past projects clearly. Before starting the take-home, ask the recruiter how it will be evaluated, how much time to budget, and when you can expect feedback. Each of these reports is a single candidate's account, so confirm the current format with your recruiter.
Synthesized from 3 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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Real interview reports from people who went through the H2O.Ai process.
I interviewed at H2O.ai for a software engineer internship in late 2023. The process started with an HR screening call, then moved into a technical round with the hiring manager that lasted about an hour. During that conversation, they asked about my familiarity with H2O Wave, their core platform, which felt like a baseline question to gauge whether I'd done any homework on the company beforehand. After that, I was given a take-home assignment to complete on my own time — they didn't specify exactly what it covered, but it was substantial enough to be a real test of my capabilities. The final step was another call with HR to wrap things up. Overall, the process stretched across a few weeks, which gave me time to think between rounds but also added some anticipation. What stood out was how much they emphasized their own tools and ecosystem rather than generic algorithmic problems. The interviewers were friendly and seemed genuinely interested in my background, though the technical bar was definitely there. The feedback loop wasn't always clear, but I felt like they were assessing both my technical foundation and whether I'd be genuinely interested in working with their stack.
Prep tip from this candidate
Go into this interview with hands-on familiarity with H2O Wave — they will ask about it, and having a real project or tutorial completed beforehand makes a significant difference. Beyond that, be prepared for system-level questions about Linux and cloud concepts, not just pure algorithms, and expect a take-home assignment as part of the process.
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Topics based on recent interview experiences.
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Select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department
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Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
Candidates report starting with an HR or phone screen. One internship candidate describes it as the first step before a technical conversation, and a software developer candidate describes a phone screen before a technical call. Expect a short conversation about your background and interest in the role.
One candidate describes a 20-minute call with an easy LeetCode-style problem, Linux commands, and a discussion of prior work. An internship candidate reports an hour-long technical round with the hiring manager that included a question about H2O Wave familiarity. Length and format may vary by role.
Two candidates report a take-home assignment. One was asked to build a small app with H2O Wave over three to four days and submitted it by email. The internship candidate reports the take-home was substantial but unspecified. You may want to confirm the evaluation criteria and feedback timeline before starting.
The internship candidate reports a final HR call and an offer. The software developer candidate says they heard nothing after submitting the take-home, and the software engineer candidate was rejected after a first-round conversation with a director. Outcomes in these reports were mixed, so do not assume a fixed final stage.
