Staff-Level AI Engineer Interview Preparation Guide (FAANG Standards)
AI Engineer
Staff
8 rounds
Updated 11/23/2025
This guide is based on general FAANG interview practices and may not reflect specific company procedures.
Staff-level AI Engineer interviews at FAANG companies typically span 5-8 weeks and consist of 8 comprehensive rounds designed to assess deep technical expertise in AI/ML, ability to architect and lead complex intelligent systems, hands-on implementation skills with modern AI frameworks and hardware, and capacity to mentor senior engineers and influence technical strategy. The process emphasizes domain knowledge in AI specializations, ability to design systems at scale, research-informed problem-solving, production ML excellence, and executive-level leadership and collaboration.
Interview Rounds
1
Recruiter Screening
30 min4 focus topicsculture fit
2
Technical Phone Screen - Coding and Problem-Solving
50 min4 focus topicstechnical
3
AI System Design Round
75 min6 focus topicssystem design
4
Deep Learning and Neural Networks Round
70 min5 focus topicstechnical
5
Generative AI, NLP, and Deep Specialization Round
70 min6 focus topicstechnical
6
Machine Learning Systems and Production ML Round
70 min6 focus topicstechnical
7
Leadership and Behavioral Competencies Round
50 min6 focus topicsbehavioral
8
Hiring Manager and Role Alignment Round
50 min3 focus topicsculture fit
Additional Information