Interview
Questions
OpenAI Software Engineer Interview Questions
Behavioral interview questions for OpenAI SWE roles focusing on mission alignment, technical ownership, collaboration, and operating in ambiguous environments.
Why are you interested in working at OpenAI? How does our mission of ensuring AI benefits all of humanity resonate with you?
Tell me about a project or accomplishment you are most proud of. What was your specific contribution and what impact did it have?
Describe a time when you had to work on a greenfield project with minimal guidance. How did you approach the ambiguity and make progress?
Tell me about a time you disagreed with a senior colleague or had competing ideas about how to move a project forward. How did you handle it?
What concerns, if any, do you have about working at OpenAI? How would you address them?
How do you approach learning new technologies quickly? Give me an example where you had to ramp up on something unfamiliar under a tight deadline.
Describe a time when you took independent ownership of a complex technical problem with minimal process or oversight. What was your approach?
Tell me about a time when you had to balance shipping quickly with maintaining code quality or safety considerations. How did you make that trade-off?
How do you stay current with the rapidly evolving AI/ML landscape? What recent development has excited you most?
Describe a situation where you worked with researchers or scientists who had different priorities than engineering. How did you collaborate effectively?
Tell me about a time when you made a technical decision that had broader implications for AI safety or responsible development. How did you think through it?
What is your biggest weakness as an engineer? How have you built systems to self-correct or sought feedback to improve?
Describe a complex system you designed or architected. What trade-offs did you consider, and how did you navigate dependencies across teams?
How do you handle situations where you need to push back on unrealistic deadlines while still maintaining urgency? Give me a specific example.
What aspects of OpenAIs Charter or approach to AI development resonate most with you? How would you contribute to that mission as an engineer?