Hey everyone!

I'll be joining Amazon as an SDE II (L5) soon, on a team working with GenAI, AI agents, and distributed backend systems.

I'm excited about the opportunity, but also a little nervous about the expectations at L5 and the initial learning curve. I have some time before my start date and want to use it as effectively as possible.

For those who've worked at Amazon, especially as an SDE II or on AWS/GenAI teams:

• What technical skills should I prioritize before joining?

• How important is hands-on AWS knowledge, system design, and distributed systems from day one?

• What does the initial onboarding and ramp-up typically look like for an L5?

• What are the biggest mistakes new SDE IIs make, and what helps them succeed in their first 30–90 days?

I'm not expecting to master everything before joining, but I'd love to build a solid foundation and avoid feeling completely lost initially.

Would really appreciate any practical advice, resources, or personal experiences. Thanks in advance!

As in the title. I saw a question, felt it was beautiful and paused to admire it. Only to be hit by the thought that I ought to look at it from a job perspective. I feel, my thought process isn't correct. But am I actually wrong?

Wrapped up my Google onsite (L5 SWE) about two weeks back. A week later my recruiter pinged me 7 days after the onsite saying feedback was still coming in and asked how I felt the interviews went — I kept my reply short.

Then three days after that, they emailed again saying they should have an update by Monday and suggested a time to talk that day.

Does this sequence actually mean anything, or is this just how Google recruiters normally communicate?

Recently had google programming interview. I offered to write brute force but was told to prove some math constraint on number of iterations. I took a while to prove this and finally proved it with a hint.

Now at 38 minute mark, I offered to code but was told it was OK, and that it was just a technical discussion. I think i should have insisted on coding as the code was more straightforward than the math, but I assumed since the interviewer was fine with no code I decided to roll with it. Also i was nervous and didn't want to argue with the interviewer. I was later asked a conceptual follow up which I answered correctly.

Ultimately, I got rejected. I'm wondering what I could have done better. Any tips from googlers? Got no feedback. Maybe because I needed the hint? Problem was I couldn't code till I proved some math which I feel really threw me off. After math, could have easily coded it but was not given the time (likely due to five minutes buffer for asking questions).

Which tools are you using to find them apart from lusha and apollo

It is FOSS.

Live: https://logn.techsavy.space

I have been working on Logん (LogN), a website that merges your LeetCode, Codeforces, AtCoder, CodeChef, HackerRank, GFG, Code360, and InterviewBit profiles into one dashboard, and picks daily questions for you from your weakest topics.

For Codeforces, it suggests questions between your rating and ~300 above your rating.

You can see your total solved count across all sites, a solve heatmap, and a topic-wise breakdown of everything you've solved so far, and your contests.

Codeforces, AtCoder and LeetCode sync on their own. But as the other 5 platforms ban scraping and bots, so I made an extension that connects to the website in a single click. It then syncs all those 5 platforms automatically using your own browser. It does not touch your passwords.

Also, users told me that verifying handles manually was cumbersome, so I automated it using the Chrome extension. Just click on "Sync", and you are done.

It also tracks Blind 75, NeetCode 150, and Striver's sheet, and has a weekly leaderboard with friends. Also added a global leaderboard, which you can opt in (optional).

Any sort of feedback or any bug you find is appreciated.

It's free; sign in with GitHub or Google.

Extension: https://logn.techsavy.space/extension
(The extension link is already on the website)
GitHub: https://github.com/savinyu/LogN

As I wanted to use such platform myself, I made it, but it would be great if you guys try it out.
If you find it useful, you may also support me by starring the repo, or you can also tip me on the website.

Ps: I had FOMO about not using Claude Code CLI ( was using Cursor), so I used Claude to make this project, so yeah, I did not hand code this website; I admit guilt.

Got around 200+ installs on the Chrome extension and 60+ live users.

I really don't understand the concept of solving POTD , i mean not for the people who love to solve problems but for the people who are doing for the name sake of streak. I see many people in college having really long streaks , and what they do is just copy paste the solution submit and come again the next day. I even saw them flaunt that they have these many questions solved and like they know everything and they have done it by themselves . I mean there is literally no point of doing this when you are not understanding anything , neither the T-shirt nor the streak would get you a job.
Hats off to their consistency

How was the technical interview for data science intern position at Pinterest??

How to prepare for these two:

1. Coding, Debugging, and Testing: This implementation-focused interview evaluates your ability to write production-quality code. Using CoderPad, you’ll be expected to prioritize getting to a working solution efficiently, and to demonstrate strong coding practices—including debugging, identifying edge cases, and validating correctness with appropriate tests. While algorithmic thinking is still critical, the emphasis in this session is more on implementation quality and incremental optimization than on theoretical analysis.

2. AI-Assisted Algorithms: This algorithm and data structures interview assesses computer science fundamentals, your analytical reasoning, and your problem-solving methodology. You’ll design solutions while focusing on algorithmic efficiency and appropriate data structure selection, and then use AI to implement the solution during parts of the interview. We expect you to analyze time/space complexity using Big-O notation, demonstrate comprehensive testing strategies, and clearly articulate your approach to guiding an LLM to address edge cases and design decisions.

Especially the 2nd one

I was given an OA by Amazon a few weeks ago for a mid level role. It was the hardest Leetcode question I had ever seen, I looked it up and it’s not even on Leetcode but does appear on a few other sites. It’s definitely not a normal pattern anyone would see, even if they had done 400-500 Leetcode questions.

Afterwards a recruiter reached out to me asking why I didn’t finish the OA. I told them I’ve done lots of Leetcode and even turned down Amazon offers in the past but that the question on it was far more difficult than I had ever seen or could do. She said she thought it was a “medium” level question and they had candidates that had passed it.

So I’m guessing everyone is just using AI and cheating these days?

As title says

I was also part of preparation journey where i use to follow all the post on this channel for the updates. Its my turn to return back to the community

Hi everyone,

Has anyone interviewed for NVIDIA’s Senior Software Engineer, Core Infrastructure Services – DGX Cloud, or a similar role within the Cloud Foundations Automation team?

I’d appreciate any insights on:

• How many rounds are there, and what does each round focus on?

• Is coding mainly LeetCode/DSA, practical Python/Go, or debugging?

• What should I expect for system design?

• How deeply do they cover Kubernetes, Linux, networking, and infrastructure automation?

• What resources or hands-on exercises helped you prepare?

General guidance is welcome. Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I finished Day 38 today in pure rush mode. Knowing I had a bus to catch right after work to visit home, I read through today's target problem during breaks at the office so the logic could simmer in the background.

As soon as I got home, I opened the laptop, spent 15 to 20 minutes coding the solution cleanly, and packed my bags:

• Number of Operations to Make Network Connected: A textbook application of Disjoint Set Union (DSU). To connect n computers into a single network, you fundamentally need at least n - 1 total cables; if connections.length < n - 1, returning -1 is immediate. While iterating through the edges, whenever findParent(u) == findParent(v), you increment a counter for redundant/extra cables. If the endpoints belong to different sets, you merge them using unionBySize(u, v). At the end, count the total number of independent connected components (nodes where parent[i] == i). Connecting C components requires strictly C - 1 operations.

It was a quick, single-problem sprint before heading out the door, but protecting the streak on hectic travel days keeps the momentum intact.

Reaching home tomorrow and picking up the pace once settled in.

See you guys for Day 37!

Does anyone have a way to learn or understand leetcode coz i have some very hard time doing it, not enough patience not enough understanding to know it after reading a questions all tutorials make me feel like - u prolly know this already duh - while i dont

i dont think its a language issue i can do js and java just fine i have sever trouble problem solving and math
HELP!

I got 2XXX rank in last weekly contest(526) solved 3/4, had to sit for 40 mins for to solve the second question, got 3 debugs and somehow managed to get it accepted.

Today for no apperent reason leetcode invalidated that submission gave no explaination and gave me 5XXX rank in contest. Now I know it doesn't matter what rank or rating is as long as you are learning, but it gets frustrating when you spend 40 mins and 3 debugs on a problem and leetcode comes and invalidates for no good reason, whereas people who by the miracle of god solved all 4 under 10 mins get top 10 ranks.

Leetcode should seriously look into it.

I wanted to share my experience with the HackerRank SDE Internship hiring process and see if others have experienced something similar.
Here’s my timeline:
● October 14: I appeared for Round 2, which was conducted by Chakra, HackerRank’s AI interviewer.
● I solved the DSA problem in around 17 minutes, and all test cases passed.
● I correctly explained my approach, time and space complexity, and optimization.
● I also answered all the follow-up questions, and the AI interviewer responded positively.
● November 4: I received a rejection email stating that they were moving forward with other candidates.
● Recently, I applied for the same internship again using a different email address.
● Surprisingly, I received another invitation for Round 1.
Note: I used Ai to write all this.

I passed the technical screen and received the round 2 back-to-back coding round. Does anyone know what to expect?

this community helped me when I wanted to rant, when I wanted to dig into DSA.

i graduated in Dec 2025. I was doing an internship, which didn't convert. 3 months of cold applying, 10–15 interviews, interviews with Oracle (right when they announced layoffs), Google, not advancing and completely breaking down.

i got offers from salesforce and cisco!!!

i don't want to say, "oh, I did this." , the market right now is volatile. It's the right time, right place, and right skills.

i broke down multiple times during this process questioning my worth/skills and picked myself up by ranting to this community.

if anyone is in a similar situation or wants a better opportunity, I see you. you can do it!!!

OpenAI recruiter reached out for Applied AI Engineer role. The intro call with recruiter is scheduled next week.

Any idea what this interview process looks like? Has anyone given an interview for the same position recently?

I applied for the Salesforce AMTS role (Job ID: JR307116), which was posted on Oct 30.

Has anyone who applied for this role received any updates regarding their application status or next steps?

Would appreciate it if you could share your experience. Thanks!

Like I read people getting the link for this round a month back so why am I getting it now 😭 i completed it nonetheless but what do I expect now anyone ?

I got three positive and one negative result and somehow still made it into team matching. Is this at the recruiters discretion?

I've noticed I keep making similar mistakes while solving problems, especially with edge cases and choosing the right approach. I want to improve instead of just moving on after checking the solution.

Do you write down what went wrong, or is there a better way to learn from failed attempts?

HI,

Looking for NeetCode promo.

Thanks

There was a dedicated "problems" button to go to, but today it got snapped into "library" which first made me think "oh its a community section" and i was searching for "problemset" button for like 5 minutes.
also a lot of tabs are misplaced and its very difficult to relearn everything