Just wrapped up a Sony EM loop for a role on the PlayStation Network infrastructure side. Took about 5 weeks start to finish. Sharing because there's almost nothing useful online about what the Sony engineering manager interview loop actually looks like in 2026.
Here's the rough shape:
Recruiter screen (30 min): Standard stuff. Team size you've managed, leveling philosophy, why Sony. She was organized and gave clear next steps, which was already better than most.
Hiring manager call (45 min): This is a real technical conversation, not just vibe-check. My HM asked about how I've handled cross-functional dependencies with product, one story about technical debt decisions, and one about how I've leveled engineers. Come with specifics. Vague answers kill you here.
Writing exercise (async, 48 hours): They send a 1-page fictional engineering scenario. You write a 1-2 page response on how you'd approach it. Mine was about a team missing sprint commitments repeatedly. This felt more like something a McKinsey firm would do than a gaming company. But it filtered seriously.
Full onsite (5 rounds, 4 hours total): Split between technical system design, two behavioral rounds, a cross-functional round with a PM, and a leadership/values round. The behavioral rounds used a modified STAR format but they pushed hard on failure stories. Not "what would you do" but "tell me exactly what happened and what you'd do differently."
Compensation at Sony for EM roles tends to run below FAANG equivalents but above mid-market. My offer for a senior EM level (they call it something like P6 equivalent internally, though they don't use that publicly) was in the $240k-$280k range total comp, SF Bay Area. Heavy on base, lighter on equity compared to what I'd seen elsewhere.
Declined to go with a role at a smaller company but the process itself was respectful and well-run. Happy to answer questions.