Candidates describe a StubHub software engineer loop built around a recruiter conversation, an online assessment or technical chat, a live code pair, and system design, with product-flavored problems and uneven scheduling.
$215K
Avg. Base Comp
$380K
Avg. Total Comp
3-5 rounds
Typical Rounds
Not reported
Process Length
StubHub software engineer candidates describe a loop centered on a live code pair followed by system design, usually after a recruiter conversation. Reports vary by level and year, so treat the stages below as common themes rather than a fixed script.
The coding problems tend to be tied to the product. One candidate implemented methods for a ticketing system, another wrote code to find events local to a customer, and a mobile candidate added features to a starter project in SwiftUI or UIKit. Several describe the difficulty as easy. One said they only learned later that the interviewer wanted an O(n) solution rather than a sort. Ask about constraints and complexity before you start.
System design prompts reported include an email service sending batch messages to millions of subscribers around noon, and a StubHub feature design. One candidate said the prompt was read out as four requirements with little detail, so they lost time working out which parts already existed. Spend the first minutes pinning down scope. Another candidate was asked about SLI, SLA and SLO concepts, so be ready to give operational examples.
Some candidates face an online assessment first: one reported a one-hour Codility test of LeetCode-style problems. A senior candidate instead had a code review exercise on existing service code. It focused on API inefficiencies, sorting logic and whether to push fixes down to the database. A cancelled round, a disorganized process and a rejection without feedback each come up in these accounts, so confirm next steps with your recruiter.
Synthesized from 10 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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Real interview reports from people who went through the Stubhub process.
I interviewed at StubHub for a senior role in late 2024, and the process was surprisingly smooth to schedule. The first round involved a technical discussion with the recruiter, which caught me off guard in a good way — they asked some genuine technical questions rather than the typical behavioral stuff. The real substance came in the next round: a code review exercise where I was given existing service code and asked to walk through how I'd improve it. The focus was on identifying inefficiencies in the API structure and sorting logic, and whether I'd push fixes down to the database level. I thought I handled it well, but looking back, the bar felt oddly low for a senior position. The third round was a coding problem that, frankly, was too simple. I completed it without much difficulty, but the whole thing felt more about code style and presentation than real algorithmic thinking or system design complexity. There wasn't much discussion of tradeoffs or scalability — it was very subjective feedback, or rather, no feedback at all. I walked out confident I'd done the work correctly, but they rejected me without explanation. That lack of clarity was frustrating. One thing that came up in conversation with the hiring manager was remote work — there was some conflicting messaging about whether seniors could be fully remote or if 2-3 days onsite was expected, depending on location. The process itself was professional, but the interview questions didn't feel well-calibrated for the level I was interviewing for.
Prep tip from this candidate
Be ready to dive deep into API design and database query optimization during code review rounds — that's where they focus. Also, clarify remote work expectations upfront with the hiring manager, since there's inconsistency in messaging. The coding problems are straightforward, so use that time to demonstrate thoughtful design thinking and ask clarifying questions about constraints rather than just grinding out a solution.
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Sourced from candidate reports and verified by our team.
Topics based on recent interview experiences.
Featured question at Stubhub
Select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department
| Question | |
|---|---|
| Top Three Salaries | |
| Closest SAT Scores | |
| Subscription Overlap | |
| Empty Neighborhoods | |
| Merge Sorted Lists | |
| Monthly Customer Report | |
| Rolling Bank Transactions | |
| Customer Orders | |
| Top 3 Users | |
| Comments Histogram | |
| Random SQL Sample | |
| Raining in Seattle | |
| Bagging vs Boosting | |
| Flight Records | |
| Prime to N | |
| Upsell Transactions | |
| Scrambled Tickets | |
| Delivery Estimate Model | |
| Rectangle Overlap | |
| Find the First Non-Repeating Character in a String | |
| Average Quantity | |
| Recurring Character | |
| P-value to a Layman | |
| Real-Time Transaction Streaming | |
| Hurdles In Data Projects | |
| Google Maps Improvement | |
| Size of Joins | |
| Project Pairs | |
| Address Schema |
Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
Candidates report starting with a recruiter screen, sometimes after LinkedIn outreach, covering background and past projects. One senior candidate said the recruiter asked real technical questions, and another also spoke with a hiring manager. Expect to describe a recent project clearly.
One candidate reports a one-hour Codility assessment with LeetCode-style problems. Others had a technical discussion with an engineer instead, or a code review exercise on existing service code. This stage may not apply to every role or level.
Candidates report pair coding on StubHub-style problems: ticketing-system methods, finding events near a customer, or adding features to a mobile starter project. Difficulty is often described as easy, but unstated optimization expectations were a complaint, so clarify constraints first.
Reported prompts include a batch email service for millions of subscribers and designing a StubHub feature. One candidate felt scope was vague, and another faced business-metrics follow-ups. Candidates typically benefit from clarifying what is existing versus new, then covering scale and tradeoffs. One report said this round was cancelled after the code pair.
A mobile candidate reported a technical project deep dive called The Discipline as one of three gated technical rounds. Prepare a recent project with concrete problem and impact details.
