I applied through college or university. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Shield AI (San Diego, CA) in Jul 2018
Interview
I thought the interview process at Shied followed a more holistic approach as compared to the other companies I interviewed at which tested purely software skills. I interviewed for a Software Engineer's role in the Planning and Controls Team
My first interaction with Shield was with the former CTO/Co-founder (now a technical Fellow and Lead for State Estimation) at the Robotics Science and Sytems conference at CMU. He set up a coffee conversation for the following day where I presented my work at school with slides I already had prepared. This was not meant to be a screening round by any means but for him to understand my interests and where I would fit in Shield. I was really impressed with the breadth and depth of knowledge that he had and that got me excited to look forward to the next steps of the interview process.
If you don't have the good fortune of a technical conference like I had, an online application will definitely get you a prompt response. The talent team will set up an introductory call to help you understand what Shield does and what it stands for and will answer any questions you may have.
The next round for me was a coding challenge that tested algorithmic and Object-Oriented Programming Skills. It was similar to most coding challenge interviews you might have given but only long and it was hard to get to all questions. If you did well in this round, you directly move to a Technical Phone screen with your prospective Team Lead. If not there will be another Code Pair interview.
The technical phone screen was essentially you talking about your projects and past work and answering questions. It is a very relaxed setting and that helps a lot to articulate you work in the best manner.
After this is the onsite which has 4 rounds:
1. Challenge problem: A problem which would be sent to you a week before the interview. You could prepare slides or use a whiteboard to draw out the solution to the panel. The problem is intended to force you think at a systemic level. For me, it was a task planning problem for exploring multi building environment.
2. Technical Screen: In depth questions about the your area of expertise on a white board with the Team Lead of your Prospective Team. For me, the questions were focussed on Motion Primitives.
3. Interview with the Hiring Manager of AI where you're assessed how well you would work in a team environment. Questions will probe into your past experiences of being part of collaborative projects or lab groups.
4. Lunch with your Future Teammates: This is mostly Shield trying to sell San Diego as a location and the team trying to judge if you have a good appetite. Dont leave leftovers!
5. With the CEO: This round is to assess whether your values as an individual align with Shield AI values. You can read up Shield AI values online but I think it is too easy for them to pick up whether you are genuine or are you faking the values you read online. I would recommend not reading and be honest about what you believe in.
If you come across as kind (humble), hardworking and show sparks of brilliance in the interview process, you should make it. Because that's the common thread I see in my teammates here at Shield AI. Best of luck and hope this helps :)
Interview questions [3]
Question 1
How would you explore multi building environment with a drone?
I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Shield AI
Interview
Recruiter call, then a Hiring Manager conversation (discussed technical topics, experience, etc), then a technical interview with team members (discussed technical topic questions, find a bug, then a leetcode style question)
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Shield AI (Frisco, TX) in Mar 2026
Interview
Super outdate interview model. The recruiter is usually non responsive, the process was disorganized and slow. Surprisingly slow for a company that claims to go fast. Presentation part seems outdated. Most engineers I talked to didn’t really know what they were doing. Some interviewers were friendly, others disorganized and lack an understanding of software engineering but pretended to understand it all. I would not recommend.
I applied online. I interviewed at Shield AI (San Diego, CA) in Nov 2025
Interview
I recently completed the interview process at Shield AI and found it well-structured and candidate-friendly. The entire process took approximately 4-5 weeks.
After applying, an internal recruiter reached out to discuss the role and compensation expectations. The first interview was a relaxed 45-minute call with the hiring manager, covering role details, team expectations, and my motivations for seeking a new position (essentially a conversational behavioral interview).
Next was a 60-minute technical screen using CoderPad, featuring an open-ended problem. AI assistance was permitted, and the focus was on problem-solving approach and communication rather than arriving at a complete solution.
The final stage was an onsite with four sessions: a 60 min technical retrospective presentation, a 45-min technical interview, and two 30-min behavioral interviews focusing on values and teamwork respectively.
Throughout the process, the recruiter was exceptionally responsive, proactively scheduling interviews and thoroughly answering my questions. I received an offer within two business days of the onsite and, after negotiating, accepted the position. Overall, I found the entire interview process to be extremely fair and thorough.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Shield AI has 3 main values and set of leadership principles, I highly recommend focusing on them and having good answers to those questions specifically (read the culture book)
What do the values mean to you?
Which of the leadership principles standout to you?
Make sure to give specific examples (stories)