Substack is the dominant subscription newsletter platform — millions of free and paid subscribers across thousands of writers. The interview emphasizes content delivery, payment processing, recommendation algorithms, and the unique two-sided marketplace dynamics.
Process
Recruiter screen → 60-minute coding phone (DSA medium) → onsite virtual: 2 coding, 1 system design, 1 craft deep-dive, 1 behavioral. Cycle: 3–4 weeks.
What they actually ask
- Design a newsletter delivery pipeline that scales to 10M+ subscribers per send
- Design Substack Notes (short-form social feed)
- Design recommendation algorithm to surface new writers to readers
- Coding: medium DSA, often with feed or graph framing
- Behavioral: customer focus, working with two-sided marketplace
Levels and comp (2026)
- SE II: $170K–$210K total
- Senior SE: $245K–$325K
- Staff: $350K–$460K
- Principal: $490K–$640K
Prep priorities
- Be fluent in TypeScript/Node.js (frontend + backend)
- Understand email delivery, deliverability, and engagement metrics
- Brush up on payments / subscriptions (Stripe Billing patterns)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Substack remote-friendly?
Distributed-first. Hubs in San Francisco and remote across US. Quarterly off-sites.
How does Substack compare to Beehiiv or Ghost?
Substack has the largest creator brand. Beehiiv is feature-rich and growing fast. Ghost is open-source-friendly. Substack pays competitively at senior+.
What is the engineering bar?
High. Small team (~70 engineers) handling massive scale. Strong written communication culture.