Software Engineer

As a Software Engineer at Windsurf, you'll tackle a range of responsibilities centered around building and enhancing our innovative AI developer tools. This includes developing code generation systems, optimizing service reliability and scalability for different IDEs and platforms, and contributing to projects like our autocomplete and chat functionalities. You’ll also collaborate with a talented team to ensure a seamless user experience, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with AI in software development.

Windsurf requires candidates for the Software Engineer position to have a minimum of 2 years of software engineering experience. A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in computer science, mathematics, or physics is essential, and having a background from a top university or participating in programming contests can be beneficial. The ideal candidate should possess strong coding skills and a problem-solving mindset, eager to dive into the challenges of developing AI-powered tools.

At Windsurf, we believe in fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional growth. Our Software Engineers are encouraged to tackle complex challenges, share knowledge, and collaborate with peers in a lively office environment. We also provide opportunities for attending workshops, financial support for relevant courses, and a platform to work on innovative projects that can significantly expand your skill set and experience in cutting-edge technology.

A typical day for a Software Engineer at Windsurf involves collaborating with your peers to brainstorm solutions to unique challenges, participating in code reviews, and focusing on development tasks that enhance our AI tools. Expect meetings that revolve around project updates, working hands-on with AI models and frameworks, and continuously integrating user feedback for product improvement—all while thriving in our active and engaging office space in Mountain View.

At Windsurf, Software Engineers can expect to engage with exciting projects that revolve around the use of AI in software development. Recent projects include developing a scalable autocomplete and chat service for a large user base, building a Kubernetes-native data processing framework, and optimizing model inference performance. Your involvement in these groundbreaking initiatives will play a critical role in shaping the future of developer tools.

When answering this question, be sure to focus on a specific project that highlights your technical skills and problem-solving abilities. Discuss your role in the project, the technologies used, and how you overcame challenges. Make it clear how your contributions directly impacted the project's success.

This question assesses your time management and coding standards. Discuss your approach to prioritizing tasks, utilizing methods like Agile or Kanban to break down projects into manageable parts, and techniques for ensuring code quality, such as regular code reviews and writing automated tests.

Focus on specific AI technologies you've worked with, such as machine learning algorithms or natural language processing. Describe how you utilized these technologies to solve real-world problems and the impact they had on the project goals, emphasizing any quantitative results where possible.

Highlight your systematic approach to debugging, mentioning techniques like logging, unit testing, or using debugging tools. Emphasize your ability to break down problems into smaller components, which allows you to effectively identify and resolve issues in your code.

Choose an example that showcases your teamwork skills. Focus on your role within the team, how you contributed to the group's objectives, any challenges faced, and what you learned from the collaborative effort. Highlight your communication and support for others as a team player.

Be honest and specific about your proficiency in programming languages and tools. Explain how you have used them in past projects, and touch on any flagship projects that demonstrate your expertise. Additionally, mention any new languages or frameworks you're currently learning, showing your willingness to adapt.

Discuss strategies for staying informed about industry trends, such as following relevant blogs, participating in online forums or communities, attending conferences, or taking online courses. Emphasize your proactive approach to continuous learning and adapting to new technologies and methodologies.

Make sure to articulate your understanding of various challenges, including user adoption, accuracy of AI solutions, maintaining security and privacy, and the potential for AI to inadvertently introduce bugs. This shows your strategic thinking and ability to foresee hurdles while emphasizing your solution-oriented mindset.

Use this opportunity to express your enthusiasm for Windsurf's mission and innovative projects. Make connections between your skill set and the challenges Windsurf is addressing in the AI developer tools space. Highlight your alignment with the company culture and how you can contribute to its progressive work environment.

Your coding style is a reflection of your professionalism and attention to detail. Discuss your preference for clean, maintainable code and adherence to coding standards. Mention how you strive for readability, proper documentation, and efficient algorithms, along with your eagerness to learn from code reviews.