LinkedIn's coding with AI round: what candidates report
LinkedIn's software engineering onsite now includes a coding round where you can use an AI assistant. LinkedIn hasn't described the round publicly, so this guide is built from candidate reports from Bangalore and elsewhere. The classic no-AI algorithm round is still there too.
Where it sits in the loop
A senior engineer who got an offer in Bangalore in August 2026 described this loop (r/TechInterviewsIndia):
| Round | Focus |
|---|---|
| Phone screen | Resume, a short design question and a coding question |
| Hiring manager | Projects, ownership and behavioral questions |
| Coding | Classic algorithm problems on CoderPad, no AI |
| Coding with AI | A multi-part problem on CoderPad with an AI tab |
| Software design | A system design problem |
A second senior-level report from October 2026, republished from an interview-report site, also lists an AI-assisted coding round alongside a classic coding round, system design and a project deep dive (r/OfferEngineering).
What the AI round looks like
- It runs on CoderPad with boilerplate code, test cases and an AI assist tab.
- One problem grows in parts. Both reports describe a starting task followed by new requirements that build on it. In one, the parts moved from a basic version to a harder variant to a feature built on top. In the other, the interviewer added requirements such as expiry and thread safety to a data structure.
- Two interviewers may be present. One report had a lead interviewer and a second one shadowing and reviewing the code.
The problems themselves are classic data structure and graph material. The AI doesn't change what you need to know. It changes how fast you're expected to build and extend it.
What interviewers watch
The Bangalore candidate listed what the interviewer focused on:
- code reusability
- how the structure held up as requirements changed
- how the AI was used
- whether edge cases were checked
- whether generated code was validated instead of blindly accepted
The first two points are the ones people miss. If part one is hard-coded, parts two and three become a rewrite.
How to prepare
- Still do the algorithm prep. The no-AI coding round hasn't gone away, and the AI round uses the same topics.
- Practice problems with follow-ups. Solve a problem, then add a requirement yourself (a limit, an expiry, concurrency) and see how much code you have to change.
- Write the shape first. Decide the functions and data structures yourself, then let the AI fill in bodies you can check quickly.
- Run the provided tests after every change, and add one edge case of your own per part.
- Narrate your AI use. Say what you asked for and why you accepted or changed the answer. That's part of what's being scored.
- Practice on CoderPad-style setups. A browser editor with an AI tab is slower than your own IDE.
See also how to use the AI without hurting your score and which companies allow AI.
Sources
- r/TechInterviewsIndia: LinkedIn Senior SWE Bangalore, offer, coding with AI round (August 2026, candidate report)
- r/OfferEngineering: LinkedIn Senior Software Engineer interview, AI allowed in the coding round (October 2026, republished candidate report)