Stripe

I applied off-campus for the Stripe Software Engineer Intern role and was shortlisted for the hiring process after the online assessment. The OA was different from a typical LeetCode test. It had one implementation-heavy problem divided into multiple parts, where each new part added requirements to the previous solution. The focus was on data and string manipulation, so writing clean, modular code from the beginning was important. Similar recent Stripe India experiences report this progressive format. The next round was a 60-minute technical screen. I was given coding problems based on core data structures and had to explain my approach while implementing the solution. The interviewer paid attention to code quality, edge cases and how I adapted my solution when additional requirements were introduced. I then had the final technical interviews. One was another programming round, while the other was an integration-focused exercise. I had to work with an existing codebase, understand unfamiliar code, debug an issue and integrate an API using the provided documentation. This was quite different from my usual DSA preparation and required me to understand the requirements quickly. Recent Stripe intern reports specifically describe this combination of programming and API/debugging work. I was comfortable with the algorithmic portions, but the integration round was more challenging. I spent too much time understanding the existing code and couldn't complete the task to the expected level. Unfortunately, I was rejected after the final evaluation. The experience taught me that Stripe's process tests practical software engineering skills alongside DSA, especially clean implementation, debugging, API integration and adapting to changing requirements.