Breaking Into FAANG/Big Tech
A Complete Guide by Vandit Kothari
AI Product Manager @ AWS
Ex-Amazon | Goldman Sachs | Northeastern '23
META (Facebook)
Company Overview
• HQ: Menlo Park, California
• Products: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Oculus
• Focus: Social media, VR/AR, AI, advertising technology
• Known for: Innovation, fast-paced culture, impact at scale
Roles to Target
• Software Engineer (SWE): Front-end, back-end, full-stack, mobile
• Product Manager: Consumer products, infrastructure, AI/ML products
• Data Scientist/Analyst: Product analytics, experimentation
• Research Scientist: AI/ML, computer vision, NLP
Skills Required
• Technical: Python, Java, C++, React, system design, ML/AI
• Product: User empathy, data-driven decision making, 0-1 product building
• Culture fit: Move fast, bold thinking, impact-focused
Interview Process
1. Recruiter Screen: 30 mins, background + interest
2. Technical Phone Screen: 45 mins, coding or product case
3. Onsite (Virtual): 4-5 rounds - coding, system design, behavioral
4. Hiring Committee: Review of all interview feedback
How to Prepare
• Practice LeetCode Medium/Hard problems (focus on arrays, graphs, dynamic programming)
• Study Meta's product philosophy - read blog posts, watch F8 conference talks
• Prepare behavioral stories using STAR method
• Understand Meta's core values: Move Fast, Be Bold, Focus on Impact
Application Strategy
• Best path: Employee referral (highest conversion rate)
• Apply through [Link]
• Target roles aligned with your experience
• Highlight impact and scale in your resume
Compensation Range
• New Grad SWE: $180K-$220K total comp
• Mid-level (3-5 YOE): $250K-$400K
• Senior+ (5-8 YOE): $400K-$600K+
• Includes base salary + RSUs + bonus
APPLE
Company Overview
• HQ: Cupertino, California
• Products: iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, Services (iCloud, Apple Music)
• Focus: Hardware + software integration, privacy, user experience
• Known for: Design excellence, secrecy, premium products
Roles to Target
• Software Engineer: iOS, macOS, embedded systems
• Hardware Engineer: Chip design, product design
• Product Manager: Consumer products, services
• ML Engineer: Siri, computer vision, on-device ML
Skills Required
• Technical: Swift, Objective-C, C++, embedded systems, hardware-software integration
• Product: Design thinking, attention to detail, user experience focus
• Culture fit: Secrecy, ownership, craftsmanship
Interview Process
1. Recruiter Screen: 30 mins
2. Phone Technical: 1 hour, coding or technical discussion
3. Onsite: Full day, 5-6 rounds - coding, system design, behavioral, domain expertise
4. Team Matching: If passed, matched with specific team
How to Prepare
• Deep dive into Apple products you use - understand design choices
• Practice iOS development (if applying for software roles)
• Study design patterns and software architecture
• Prepare to discuss projects in extreme detail - Apple goes deep
Application Strategy
• Apply through [Link]
• Referrals help but less critical than other FAANG
• Be specific about which product/team you're interested in
• Highlight relevant projects and attention to detail
Compensation Range
• New Grad SWE: $170K-$210K total comp
• Mid-level (3-5 YOE): $220K-$350K
• Senior+ (5-8 YOE): $350K-$500K+
• Apple pays competitively but slightly below Meta/Google
AMAZON
Company Overview
• HQ: Seattle, Washington
• Products: E-commerce, AWS (cloud), Prime Video, Alexa, Kindle
• Focus: Customer obsession, scale, operational excellence
• Known for: Leadership Principles, high bar, writing culture
Roles to Target
• Software Development Engineer (SDE): Backend, distributed systems, AI/ML
• Technical Program Manager (TPM): Cross-functional execution
• Product Manager: Consumer, AWS, devices
• Business Analyst/Data Scientist: Analytics, insights
Skills Required
• Technical: Java, Python, C++, AWS services, system design, scalability
• Product: Customer obsession, working backwards, metrics-driven
• Culture fit: Ownership, bias for action, delivering results
• Critical: Know the 16 Leadership Principles (LPs) deeply
Interview Process
1. Online Assessment (OA): Coding + work simulation
2. Phone Screen: 1 hour, technical coding or LP-based behavioral
3. Onsite/Virtual: 5 rounds - coding, system design, 3-4 LP behavioral rounds
4. Bar Raiser Round: Senior interviewer ensuring high hiring bar
5. Debrief: Team discusses and decides
How to Prepare
• Master Leadership Principles: Prepare 2-3 STAR stories for each LP
• Practice behavioral questions extensively - 50% of interview is LP-based
• For technical: LeetCode Medium focus, system design at scale
• Learn to write clearly - Amazon values written communication (six-pagers)
Application Strategy
• Apply through [Link]
• Referrals moderately helpful
• Tailor resume to show ownership and results
• Mention specific Amazon products/services you're interested in
Compensation Range
• New Grad SDE: $150K-$180K total comp
• Mid-level (3-5 YOE): $200K-$300K
• Senior+ (5-8 YOE): $300K-$450K+
• Note: Amazon front-loads cash, RSUs vest 5-15-40-40 over 4 years
NETFLIX
Company Overview
• HQ: Los Gatos, California
• Products: Streaming service, original content production
• Focus: Personalization, content recommendation, streaming technology
• Known for: Freedom & responsibility culture, high compensation, 'keeper test'
Roles to Target
• Software Engineer: Backend systems, streaming infrastructure, ML
• Data Scientist: Personalization, A/B testing, content analytics
• Product Manager: Consumer experience, content discovery
• ML Engineer: Recommendation systems, computer vision
Skills Required
• Technical: Java, Python, Scala, distributed systems, ML at scale
• Product: A/B testing, metrics-driven iteration, content understanding
• Culture fit: High performance, candor, context not control
• Senior-level focus: Netflix rarely hires new grads
Interview Process
1. Recruiter Screen: 30 mins, culture fit check
2. Phone Technical: 1 hour, coding or system design
3. Onsite: 4-5 hours - coding, system design, behavioral, culture fit
4. Keeper Test: Would we fight to keep this person? High bar for hiring
How to Prepare
• Read Netflix Culture Memo (famous internal doc - Google it)
• Understand recommendation systems and A/B testing
• Prepare for senior-level system design questions
• Show evidence of high performance and ownership in past roles
• Be ready to discuss failures candidly
Application Strategy
• Apply through [Link]
• Referrals very valuable (small, tight-knit company)
• Target roles with 3-5+ years experience
• Highlight measurable impact and ownership
Compensation Range
• Netflix pays top of market - often 20-30% above peers
• Mid-level (3-5 YOE): $300K-$450K
• Senior (5-8 YOE): $450K-$700K+
• All cash salary (no equity) - makes it easier to compare and negotiate
GOOGLE
Company Overview
• HQ: Mountain View, California
• Products: Search, Android, Chrome, YouTube, Google Cloud, Workspace
• Focus: AI/ML, information organization, infrastructure at scale
• Known for: Engineering excellence, perks, 20% time, rigorous interviews
Roles to Target
• Software Engineer (SWE): Backend, frontend, mobile, infrastructure
• Product Manager: Consumer products, enterprise, technical
• Research Scientist: AI/ML, algorithms, systems
• Site Reliability Engineer (SRE): Production systems, scalability
Skills Required
• Technical: Python, Java, C++, Go, algorithms, data structures, system design
• Product: User-centric thinking, technical depth, strategic vision
• Culture fit: Collaboration, innovation, intellectual curiosity
• Googleyness: Comfort with ambiguity, bias to action, team player
Interview Process
1. Recruiter Screen: 30 mins
2. Phone Screen: 45 mins, coding (shared Google Doc)
3. Onsite (Virtual): 4-5 rounds - coding (2-3), system design (1), behavioral (1)
4. Hiring Committee: Independent review of interview packets
5. Team Matching: After HC approval, matched with team
How to Prepare
• LeetCode is essential: Focus on Medium problems, master fundamentals
• Practice coding in Google Docs (no autocomplete, no syntax highlighting)
• Study system design: scalability, availability, consistency trade-offs
• Prepare behavioral stories showing collaboration and learning from failure
• Know Google products deeply - be a power user
Application Strategy
• Apply through [Link]
• Referrals significantly increase interview rate (reach out on LinkedIn)
• Google has long hiring process (2-3 months average)
• Highlight technical depth and breadth
Compensation Range
• New Grad (L3): $180K-$230K total comp
• Mid-level L4 (2-4 YOE): $240K-$350K
• Senior L5 (5-8 YOE): $350K-$500K
• Staff+ (L6+): $500K-$1M+
• Includes base + stock (RSUs) + bonus, stock vests 25% per year
General Big Tech Application Tips
Resume Optimization
• Use action verbs: Built, Led, Improved, Shipped, Scaled
• Quantify everything: X% improvement, Y users impacted, Z systems owned
• Keep to 1 page for 0-5 YOE, 2 pages for 5+ YOE
• ATS-friendly format: no fancy graphics, clear section headers
• Tailor to each company's values
Networking Strategy
• Reach out to alumni from your school on LinkedIn
• Attend tech meetups and company info sessions
• Contribute to open source projects
• Build genuine connections, not transactional asks
• Follow up after conversations with thank you notes
Interview Preparation Timeline
• 3 months out: Start LeetCode, review fundamentals
• 2 months out: System design study, mock interviews
• 1 month out: Company-specific prep, behavioral stories
• 1 week out: Light practice, rest, mental preparation
Resources I Recommend
• LeetCode Premium: Company-tagged questions
• Cracking the Coding Interview: Must-read book
• System Design Primer (GitHub): Free, comprehensive
• Pramp/[Link]: Free mock interviews
• Blind (app): Compensation data, interview experiences
Common Mistakes to Avoid
• Applying without preparation (wasting your shot)
• Not asking clarifying questions in interviews
• Focusing only on coding, ignoring behavioral prep
• Not following up after interviews
• Comparing offers without understanding equity/RSU vesting
My Personal Journey
I went from Byju's (India) → Goldman Sachs → Amazon (TPM) → AWS (AI PM). The path wasn't linear,
but preparation and persistence made it possible. Feel free to reach out if you need guidance.
Connect with me:
• Instagram: @vanditkothari
• LinkedIn: [Link]/in/vanditkothari
• Free 1:1 calls: [Link]/vanditkothari