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E5s are Meta's workhorses. Therefore, they have to be very productive and own the subsystem technical direction. They need to lead E4s and E3s along with collaborating with E6s. They need to be driven to action, work on their features and support other engineers when SEVs (site events) occur. They're also expected to participate in org wide initiatives and help streamline the developer experience and operational excellence initiatives

DoorDash essentially provides candidates with a lot of information about its product sense and product prioritization rounds, so I think they're really looking for a sharp, structured answer that covers everything they're looking for. I think there is slightly less room for error there compared to product case rounds at other companies. DoorDash places a huge emphasis on success metrics, experimentation, and navigating the complexities of a 3-sided marketplace like the one they operate in. Their margins are razor-thin, so it's really important to get the combination of supply, demand, pricing (and user experience) right to win and beat out competition.

Ops cases focus on how to improve performance within existing constraints vs. strategy cases which emphasize what direction the company should take. Expect to dive into KPIs like throughput, utilization, downtime, or unit costs—not just revenue growth or market share. Ops often deal with short-term fixes and real-time trade-offs, while strategy cases are more long-term. You’re diagnosing inefficiencies, not just testing strategic options - requiring sharper analytical breakdowns and logic trees.

For coding interviews: (1) always think out loud by explaining your thoughts to the interviewer, especially when stuck or unsure. (2) make sure the interviewer understands your idea before diving into implementation. (3) write code in a top-down fashion, which means you can make calls to non-existent functions and fill in the details later, to maximize the chance of completing the main scaffolding. For behavioral interviews: (1) study and practice the STAR framework (2) think about and list out as many past projects/experiences as possible (3) be honest. To stand out: pretend the interviewer is your colleague, demonstrate 'Googleyness', and prepare questions to ask.

Typically, candidates receive a case/problem statement about a week in advance. Candidates are expected to prepare a response, often in the form of a presentation or document. The actual jam session usually involves 2-3 interviewers from the team. The focus is less about arriving at the “perfect” answer and more about: The framework and structure used to approach the problem Depth of thinking Consideration of edge cases and operational realities Product judgment and prioritization Ability to incorporate feedback live during discussion Collaboration style and communication Whether the person seems easy to work with

Negotiate collaboratively. Base salary is hardest to negotiate (strict internal bands), Equity is easier, sign-On Bonus is easiest because it comes from a one-time expense pool. Use 70/30 rule (listen 70% of time, ask diagnostic questions). Give a conditional commitment ('If we bring base to $X / add $Y sign-on, I am ready to sign today') but only do this if you are 100% prepared to follow through. If the recruiter or hiring manager goes to bat with their comp committee, gets approval for your exact request, and you backtrack or ask for more, backing out can destroy trust before you even start the job. If you read only one book on negotiation, make it Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss. Two of the most relevant tactical takeaways for salary discussions from the book: Use precise, non-round numbers: A specific number, like $182,500 or $183,400, are more likely to be the result of careful calculation and research. Round numbers (like $180,000) look like guesses and are easier to negotiate down. Manage ranges strategically: If you must give a compensation range early on, know that the employer could very much anchor towards the bottom of the range. If your true target is $185k, make sure it’s included on the lower side of your range.