went through Perplexity's EM interview process in early 2026. it's quite different from what i expected based on what i'd heard about other AI startups.
quick background: i'm a first-time manager about 14 months in. managing a team of 6 at a Series B. decided to throw my hat in partly to see what i was worth externally and partly because Perplexity's product genuinely interests me.
the loop (over 5 days of virtual panels) recruiter screen: culture fit, why Perplexity, IC vs. manager career path question (they wanted to know i was genuinely committed to management, not hiding from coding). engineering bar screen: yes, managers code. i got a problem on distributed state that was harder than i expected. they want you to be current enough to review PRs meaningfully. leadership design: "design the hiring process for a 3-engineer team spinning up a new product." open ended, they probe how you think about sourcing, leveling, interviewing, and onboarding. i talked specifics from my current role and they kept pushing: "what went wrong, what would you change." people management scenarios: a behavioral round. situation: one of your engineers is shipping fast but leaving the team behind. another: you inherited a team with a gap between two senior engineers. both were real situations i've lived through, which helped. exec round: 30 min with a VP. strategic thinking. what would i do in the first 90 days. what's the riskiest decision i've made as a manager.
what surprised me: they cared way more about self-awareness than having perfect answers. i said "i made this call wrong and here's what i'd do differently" twice and got positive signal after.
what tripped me up: the coding round. i'm a year into management and my live coding is rusty. i passed but not cleanly.
still waiting on feedback as i write this. if you're a newer EM considering applying, the bar is real.