Anduril Software Engineer (SWE) Interview

Anduril's software engineering interview tests conviction and coding ability. Interviewers across multiple rounds assess your motivation for working in the defense sector, and technical rounds use multi-phase prompts that are intentionally vague.

This guide breaks down the full software engineering (SWE) interview process, what Anduril interviewers look for, and how to prepare with real example questions, actionable tips, and resources.

Anduril software engineer interview process

Anduril's SWE interview process has six sessions across three stages: a recruiter phone screen, a technical phone screen, and a final round with four sessions (two coding rounds, object-oriented design, and a behavioral conversation with a senior staff member). Turnaround is fast; one candidate reported hearing back the day after each round.

Here's what the interview process can look like:

• Recruiter phone screen (30 minutes): A conversation focused on your technical interests, past experience, and motivation for joining Anduril
• Technical phone screen (60 minutes): A coding round on HackerRank with a deliberately ambiguous, multi-phase prompt
• Onsite coding rounds (60 minutes): Two interview sessions that test technical fundamentals and practical challenges related to the team’s work
• Onsite object-oriented design round (60 minutes): You design and implement a data structure or system component from scratch, with emphasis on clean code, decomposition, and edge case handling
• Onsite behavioral round (60 minutes): A deep resume walkthrough and values-alignment conversation led by a senior leader

Recruiter phone screen

Anduril's recruiter phone screen for the SWE interview goes deeper than typical recruiter screens. For team-specific roles, you’ll be asked detailed questions about your domain experience and what you know about Anduril’s products. For new grad or general SWE roles, the recruiter maps your technical interests to specific domains (perception, backend infrastructure, ML infrastructure, ML) and gauges your motivation for working in the defense industry.

Expect a walkthrough of your past experience with follow-ups about why you chose previous roles and why you're now looking at Anduril specifically. Your recruiter will also give you information about the topics and challenges you can expect from subsequent rounds, and will be available to answer questions as you go through the process.

Interviewers look for:

• Domain alignment: A direct connection between your past experience and the specific technical area you want to work in at Anduril (perception, ML infrastructure, backend), concrete enough that the recruiter can start mapping you to teams
• Product awareness: Familiarity with what Anduril builds and which products interest you, showing you've done your research beyond the company's reputation
• Motivation beyond growth narratives: A genuine reason for joining Anduril that holds up when the recruiter asks follow-up questions about your motivation

Recently asked questions

Here are real interview questions reported by candidates:

• Tell me about a time you faced a moral or ethical dilemma at work.

Technical phone screen

The Anduril SWE technical phone screen is a 60-minute coding round conducted on HackerRank. The prompts are deliberately vague, structured to force you into asking clarifying questions.

The round uses a multi-phase structure. You start with a simplified version of the problem, solve it, and then the constraints shift: arrays become uneven sizes, edge cases multiply, and the problem may become unsolvable under certain inputs. Each phase builds on your previous code, so you'll need to refactor as the scope evolves.

Interviewers look for:

• Clarification instinct: Targeted questions that narrow the problem before you start coding, showing you can identify what's missing from an open-ended prompt
• Phase-by-phase decomposition: A structured approach that breaks the evolving prompt into discrete subproblems, solving each one before layering on the next
• Adaptability across phases: Clean modifications to your existing code when constraints shift, rather than rewriting from scratch at each gate
• Working code across gates: Functional solutions that pass the test cases at each phase, even if they aren't fully optimized

Recently asked questions

Here are real, recent interview questions reported by a candidate. The prompt below was a single multi-phase challenge, and each bullet represents one gate of the same problem:

• Given two arrays representing groups (e.g., two teams of players), determine which group should be placed in front and which in back based on element values, ensuring no element in the front array is larger than its corresponding element in the back array.
• Extend your solution to handle arrays of different sizes, where empty positions allow elements to shift.
• Determine whether a valid arrangement is possible for a given input, and return an indicator if no valid configuration exists.

Onsite coding rounds

Anduril's SWE onsite coding rounds are two 60-minute sessions where you and the interviewer work through a problem collaboratively, layering on constraints as you go. There are no formal test case gates between stages, and you work together in a code editor, talking through your approach as complexity increases.

The coding questions will vary depending on the role and team you're applying to. You might see a standard coding question tweaked to be specific to the domain; for example, visual data analysis or drone technology. Interviewers will leave you space to ask questions, particularly as the prompt grows more complex.

Interviewers look for:

• Structured spatial reasoning: A clear setup that starts with the simplest case and builds toward complexity, showing you can impose structure on an underspecified prompt
• Iterative refinement: Smooth extensions to your working solution when new constraints are introduced, without losing the logic you've already built
• Communication throughout: A running narration of your thinking as you code, especially at the moments when the problem shifts mid-round and your approach needs to change
• Core graph fundamentals: Confident application of traversal algorithms, distance calculations, and pathfinding techniques when obstacles or constraints are introduced

Recently asked questions

Here are real, recent interview questions reported by a candidate. The prompt below was a single evolving challenge, and each bullet represents one stage of the same problem:

• Find the shortest distance between two points in 2D space using the Euclidean distance formula.
• Extend your solution to handle obstacles that block direct paths between the two points.
• Find the shortest path between the two points given the obstacles, accounting for how the number and placement of obstacles affects your approach.

Onsite object-oriented design round

The Anduril SWE onsite object-oriented design round is a 60-minute session where you design and implement a data structure or system component from scratch. The emphasis is on clean, functional code.

Expect the interviewer to push you to refactor as you go. If you write a single monolithic method that handles multiple cases through conditionals, you'll likely be asked to decompose it into separate, focused functions. How you structure your code matters as much as whether it works.

For more senior team-specific roles, you might be prompted to design something within your domain, such as a tool for processing data from multiple radar sensors or a fleet of drones.

Interviewers look for:

• Code decomposition: Small, single-purpose methods from the start, without being prompted to break things apart
• Edge case coverage: Thorough handling of boundary conditions (empty structures, single-element cases, head and tail operations) across each method, surfaced proactively
• Refactoring responsiveness: A willingness to restructure working code on the spot when a cleaner approach is suggested mid-round, without losing momentum
• Data structure fundamentals: Confident implementation of core structures (linked lists, queues, deques, trees) from scratch

Recently asked questions

Here are real interview questions reported by candidates:

• Design a radar tower model for a moving ship.

Onsite behavioral round

Anduril's onsite behavioral round for the SWE interview is a 60-minute conversation with a senior-level interviewer. The focus is on business outcomes from your past work and whether you have genuine conviction about the work Anduril does.

Expect a thorough resume walkthrough where the interviewer digs into every past role. For team specific roles, prepare for a deep-dive into relevant projects. You may be asked for an honest assessment about your performance both in terms of what went well and what you’d do differently today.

For junior and new grad roles, the interviewer may use part of the conversation to explore team fit, discussing their teams and asking which align with your experience and interests. Remaining time typically goes to your questions.

Interviewers look for:

• Honest self-assessment: Candid answers about your past performance, including what didn't go well
• Conviction about the mission: A genuine, personal reason for wanting to join Anduril that survives follow-up questions
• Clarity on what you want to build: A specific connection between your experience and the kind of work Anduril does
• Executive presence: Composure and directness when speaking with a senior leader

Recently asked questions

Here are real interview questions reported by candidates:

• Walk me through your resume. For each role, tell me what you worked on, what you liked about it, and whether you got a return offer.
• How would you rate your performance at your previous company? What would your manager say about you?
• How do you make important decisions?

How to prepare for the Anduril SWE interview

1. Practice under ambiguity: Anduril's technical prompts are vague by design. Before your interview, practice receiving an unclear prompt and spending the first few minutes asking clarifying questions. Build the habit of restating the problem in your own words, confirming constraints, and identifying edge cases before you write any code.
2. Know your resume inside out: The behavioral round goes through your work history in detail. Be ready to discuss what you worked on, what you'd do differently, whether you got return offers, and how your manager would evaluate your performance. Prepare honest, specific answers for every role on your resume.
3. Know your defense-industry narrative: Motivation for working in the defense sector will come up more than once. A generic answer about impact or growth won't hold up under follow-up questions, so have a specific, genuine reason ready.
4. Build and implement core data structures from scratch: The object-oriented design round tests fundamentals at the implementation level. Practice designing doubly linked lists, queues, and deques with full method implementations, clean decomposition, and thorough edge case handling. Focus on writing code you'd be willing to refactor mid-round.
5. Run mock interviews to simulate the pressure: Anduril's SWE interview requires you to think out loud, ask questions, and adapt in real time. Mock interviews help you build the habit of narrating your reasoning and responding to constraints.

Additional resources

• Anduril Interview Questions
• Software Engineer Interview Questions
• Software Engineering Interview Course
• SWE Behavioral Interview Course
• Anduril Company Page
• Anduril's Mission

FAQs about the Anduril software engineer interview

Does Anduril ask standard algorithm questions?

Anduril's SWE coding interview prompts aren't cleanly scoped with a known optimal solution. They evolve across multiple phases, so you'll spend significant time clarifying constraints and adapting your approach as the problem shifts.

Does Anduril offer visa sponsorships?

As a defense contractor, Anduril is bound by specific regulations and only offers opportunities to US citizens and lawful permanent residents of the US. Some roles may also require further vetting or authorizations from the US State Department.

Does Anduril hire junior engineers or new grads?

Yes, Anduril has an Early Careers track for engineers with 0-2 years of industry experience. The interviews for these roles are rigorous but not domain-specific, and you'll be prompted to discuss what technologies and tools interest you so the interviewers can assign you to a team.

How much does an Anduril software engineer make?

According to Levels, SWEs at Anduril make the following in total compensation:

• L3: $205k
• L4: $283k
• L5: $384k
• L6: $415k
• L7: $444k