Sysdig is one of the leaders in cloud-native security and observability — runtime security for containers and Kubernetes, plus monitoring. Built on the open-source Falco project. The interview is systems-heavy and rewards engineers with deep Linux internals knowledge.
Process
Recruiter screen → 60-minute coding phone (medium DSA + systems trivia) → onsite virtual: 2 coding, 1 system design, 1 craft deep-dive, 1 behavioral. Cycle: 3–4 weeks.
What they actually ask
- Design a runtime security agent that monitors syscalls in containers
- Design eBPF-based instrumentation for security and observability
- Design ingest at 1M events/sec for security telemetry
- Coding: medium-hard DSA, often with concurrency or systems framing
- Behavioral: ownership, working with security domain, deep technical work
Levels and comp (2026)
- SE II: $170K–$210K total
- Senior SE: $250K–$330K
- Staff: $360K–$470K
- Principal: $490K–$640K
Prep priorities
- Be fluent in C/C++ (Falco core) and Go (control plane)
- Understand Linux internals: syscalls, namespaces, cgroups, eBPF
- Brush up on Kubernetes security and runtime threats
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sysdig remote-friendly?
Hybrid in San Francisco, Belgrade, others. Many engineering roles remote within US/EU.
How does Sysdig compare to Wiz or Aqua Security?
Wiz is broader cloud security; Sysdig deeper on runtime/container security; Aqua is the older incumbent. Sysdig pays comparably to Wiz for deep-systems engineers.
What is the engineering culture?
Deep-systems oriented. Strong contributors to open-source (Falco, sysdig). Slower hiring but rigorous.