JetBrains is the maker of IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, RustRover, and Kotlin. Czech / European company; engineering culture famously deep. The interview emphasizes language tooling, parser/analyzer design, and the unique scale of code intelligence.
Process
Recruiter screen → take-home coding assignment → 60-minute technical phone → onsite virtual: 2 coding, 1 system design, 1 deep-dive, 1 behavioral. Cycle: 4–6 weeks.
What they actually ask
- Design a code intelligence engine for a programming language
- Design refactoring infrastructure
- Design AI code completion (JetBrains AI Assistant)
- Coding: medium-hard DSA, often with parsing or graph framing
- Behavioral: technical depth, craft, written communication
Levels and comp (2026)
- SE II: EUR 75K–95K total (Prague / St Petersburg / Munich)
- Senior SE: EUR 105K–135K
- Staff: EUR 145K–185K
- Principal: EUR 200K+
European-tier comp; below US. Strong benefits, work-life balance.
Prep priorities
- Be fluent in Kotlin (the language they invented) and Java
- Understand parser theory, AST manipulation, and language servers (LSP)
- Read JetBrains engineering blog and language-server architectures
Frequently Asked Questions
Is JetBrains remote-friendly?
Hubs in Prague (HQ), St Petersburg, Munich, Amsterdam, Boston. Some engineering roles fully remote within EU.
How does JetBrains compare to Microsoft (VS Code) or Cursor?
JetBrains is the IDE specialist. VS Code is the dominant editor. Cursor is the AI-first IDE startup. JetBrains pays European-tier; below US peers.
What is the engineering culture?
European deep-engineering culture: rigorous, calm, technically demanding. Strong fit for engineers who care about language tooling and craft.