For many computer science graduates, landing a job at a Big Tech company like Google, Meta, or Amazon is the ultimate goal, offering prestige, stability, and a clear career trajectory. However, I found myself drawn to a different path—one that prioritized the dynamic learning environment and potential equity rewards of working at a startup.
My decision was shaped by internships at both Big Tech and startups. I interned at Google during my sophomore and junior years. The first internship was exciting, but by the second, I felt my growth was stagnating, and I couldn’t envision a long-term future there. In contrast, my internship at Replit, an AI software development startup, was invigorating. I led impactful projects and realized startups were where I wanted to start my career. This led me to my first full-time role at Graphite, an AI code review platform.
Here are my top tips for landing a job at an AI startup:
Leverage Big Tech Experience
If you’ve only interned at Big Tech, don’t worry—you don’t need startup experience to break into one. Big Tech internships showcase your technical foundation, including skills in technical design, testing, and writing clean, reliable code. These signals to recruiters that you can deliver high-quality work. While startup experience can help with navigating ambiguity and quick thinking, you can develop these skills through personal projects.
Work on Passion Projects
I spent much of my free time in college working on personal projects, which honed my technical skills and problem-solving approach. These projects don’t need to be AI-focused—using AI tools to boost productivity is enough. AI startups prioritize strong engineers, and diverse projects demonstrate your ability to think critically and solve problems, regardless of the domain.
LeetCode Is Relevant, But Not Everything
Preparing for technical interviews at startups still involves practicing algorithmic problems on platforms like LeetCode. However, startups place greater emphasis on handling ambiguity and product thinking, especially since AI tools can assist with coding. Personal projects help you develop the problem-solving mindset needed to navigate these broader interview questions.
Master System Design Thinking
My interview at Graphite was my first encounter with system design questions, which are uncommon for new graduates. These questions evaluate both your technical skills and problem-solving approach. A college course on human-computer interaction taught me how to scope problems and build technical solutions, giving me hands-on experience through a project. While foundational courses like algorithms and data structures are critical, exploring areas like human-computer interaction can give you an edge in interviews.
Be a Holistic Engineer
To thrive at a startup, aim to be a well-rounded engineer. Startups like Graphite move quickly, so you need to work efficiently while maintaining high-quality output and showing genuine care for users. Demonstrate this during internships by taking ownership of your work and striving to create the best possible product. At AI startups, we value engineers who can keep up with the fast pace and deliver impactful results.