Staff AI Engineer Interview Preparation Guide - Lyft

Lyft's Staff AI Engineer interview process is designed to assess advanced technical expertise in artificial intelligence systems, production-scale ML architecture design, and strategic leadership capabilities. The process spans 4-6 weeks and consists of seven rounds: a recruiter screening, a 75-minute technical phone screen emphasizing coding fundamentals and algorithmic problem-solving, and five comprehensive onsite interviews covering system design for AI, deep learning architecture expertise, advanced coding challenges, machine learning theory and production systems knowledge, behavioral and leadership assessment, and final alignment with hiring leadership. Each stage evaluates how candidates naturally perform within Lyft's business context, with emphasis on applying AI to real ride-sharing challenges including driver-rider matching optimization, demand prediction, pricing algorithms, and safety systems.