As a Software Engineer at Authentic Brands Group, you play a pivotal role in advancing the technology landscape that supports a diverse portfolio of global brands. This position is integral to developing innovative software solutions that enhance user experiences and operational efficiency. You'll contribute to products that touch millions of consumers, directly impacting both the business's growth and its reputation in the marketplace. In this role, you'll engage with cross-functional teams to tackle complex challenges, from enhancing e-commerce platforms to optimizing backend systems. The scale and complexity of the challenges you face will not only enhance your technical skills but also provide opportunities for strategic influence in how technology shapes brand interactions and customer journeys. The dynamic environment at Authentic Brands Group means that your work will be both impactful and rewarding, as you contribute to the evolution of brands that resonate globally.
Application Review
reportedInitial evaluation of submitted applications to determine candidate qualifications.
What to demonstrate
- Initial evaluation of submitted applications to determine candidate qualifications
- Depth in Software Engineering
How to prepare
- Be able to walk your CV end to end in two minutes, and say why this company specifically.
- Have your salary expectations, notice period and location constraints ready, and ask for the rest of the loop in writing.
Technical Interviews
reportedA series of interviews assessing technical skills, including coding and system design.
What to demonstrate
- A series of interviews assessing technical skills
- Including coding and system design
How to prepare
- Answer aloud and timed: What is your experience with RESTful APIs?
- Answer aloud and timed: Can you describe a challenging technical problem you solved?
Behavioral Assessments
reportedInterviews focusing on interpersonal skills and cultural fit within the company.
What to demonstrate
- Interviews focusing on interpersonal skills and cultural fit within the company
- Depth in Software Engineering
How to prepare
- Prepare three examples from your own work, each with a decision you made and an outcome you can quantify.
- Re-read the description of the behavioral assessments above and write down what you would ask to confirm before it.
Coding Challenges
reportedReal-time coding exercises to demonstrate coding proficiency and problem-solving abilities.
What to demonstrate
- Real-time coding exercises to demonstrate coding proficiency and problem-solving abilities
- Depth in Software Engineering
How to prepare
- Answer aloud and timed: How would you handle load balancing for a web application?
- Answer aloud and timed: Discuss the trade-offs between microservices and a monolithic architecture.
Final Evaluation
reportedComprehensive assessment of candidate's overall fit and capabilities before making an offer.
What to demonstrate
- Comprehensive assessment of candidate's overall fit and capabilities before making an offer
- Depth in Software Engineering
How to prepare
- Answer aloud and timed: What strategies would you implement for data storage and retrieval?
- Answer aloud and timed: How do you ensure the security of your applications?
PracHub editorial advice for the preparation topics above.
Practice coding problems
Regularly solving coding challenges on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank can sharpen your skills and boost your confidence.
Prepare for behavioral questions
Reflect on your past experiences and align them with the company’s values. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers.
Understand the company’s brands
Familiarize yourself with Authentic Brands Group's portfolio. Knowing the brands can help you connect your work to the company's mission.
Engage with the interviewers
Show your enthusiasm by asking insightful questions about the team, projects, and company culture during your interviews.
Choose a category, try a prompt, then open its approach, worked solution or follow-up when you need it.
Discuss how you would approach a project with ambiguous requirements.
Discuss how you would approach a project with ambiguous requirements.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Write a function to reverse a linked list.
Write a function to reverse a linked list.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
How would you approach solving a problem with a time complexity of O(n log n)?
How would you approach solving a problem with a time complexity of O(n log n)?
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Can you implement a binary search algorithm?
Can you implement a binary search algorithm?
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Discuss how you would optimize a sorting algorithm.
Discuss how you would optimize a sorting algorithm.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Solve a coding challenge in real-time using a whiteboard or shared document.
Solve a coding challenge in real-time using a whiteboard or shared document.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Write the update path that detects a concurrent edit
resource carries version INT NOT NULL DEFAULT 1. resource_revision holds revision_id, resource_id, version, actor_user_id, change_kind, patch JSONB, request_id, created_at with UNIQUE (resource_id, version). outbox_event holds aggregate_type, aggregate_id, aggregate_version, event_type, payload, status. A PUT carries the version the client read. Write the exact statements for the single transaction that applies the edit, records the revision and enqueues 'resource.updated', and give the handler's branch on zero affected rows. Then say what PostgreSQL 16 does under READ COMMITTED when two of these updates hit one row at once.
Approach
- One transaction, three writes, no network call inside it: UPDATE resource SET title = $3, version = version + 1, updated_at = now() WHERE resource_id = $1 AND tenant_id = $4 AND version = $2; then INSERT the resource_revision row at version $2 + 1; then INSERT the outbox_event row at the same aggregate_version. The event goes to a table rather than a broker because no transaction spans both.
- Branch on the affected-row count before doing anything else. Zero has three causes — stale version, wrong tenant, row gone — so re-read once and map to 409 carrying the current version, or 404 for an id outside the caller's tenant, which also stops the endpoint confirming that another tenant's id exists.
- State the engine behaviour instead of assuming it. Under READ COMMITTED the second UPDATE blocks on the row lock, and when the first commits PostgreSQL re-evaluates the WHERE clause against the newly committed row, so the version predicate now fails and the statement reports zero rows. Under REPEATABLE READ the identical collision raises SQLSTATE 40001 instead, so the handler must fold both shapes into one conflict response.
- Keep UNIQUE (resource_id, version) even though the predicate already serialises writers. It is what makes a lost update unwritable if any other path ever reaches the revision table, and it converts a logic bug into 23505 rather than into a silently missing history row.
Follow-up
- A client sends the version it read ten minutes ago and the resource has moved three versions. What is in your 409 so it can resolve the conflict without a full re-fetch?
- Two editors, two disjoint fields, no overlap. Does your answer still refuse the second write, and should it?
Denormalise tenant onto revisions and backfill it live
resource_revision (revision_id, resource_id, version, actor_user_id, change_kind, patch, request_id, created_at) has 400M rows and no tenant column; tenant_id lives only on resource. Two reads need it: a tenant-scoped audit feed ordered by created_at DESC, and an offboarding purge. Both join back to resource today. Justify adding tenant_id to resource_revision against those two reads, name the anomaly the copy introduces and the constraint that prevents it, then give the ordered migration for a live table taking 1.2k writes/second — the lock each step takes, how the backfill is batched, and where each step stops being reversible. PostgreSQL 16.
Approach
- Justify from the access path rather than from taste. Without the column, the audit feed either scans resource_revision by created_at and discards other tenants' rows, or resolves the tenant's resource_ids first and probes with them — both proportional to the tenant's whole history rather than to one page. With (tenant_id, created_at DESC, revision_id DESC) it is a seek that stops at 50 rows, and the purge becomes a ranged delete instead of a join.
- Name the cost exactly: a second copy of a fact can disagree with the first. Make the disagreement unwritable rather than documented — add UNIQUE (resource_id, tenant_id) on resource so it can serve as a foreign-key target, then FOREIGN KEY (resource_id, tenant_id) REFERENCES resource (resource_id, tenant_id) on the revision table. A revision can then only ever carry its parent's tenant.
- Step one, expand: ALTER TABLE resource_revision ADD COLUMN tenant_id BIGINT NULL, with no default, so it is a catalogue change and no rewrite. It still needs ACCESS EXCLUSIVE for an instant, and that instant queues behind the longest open transaction on the table while every later query queues behind it — set lock_timeout to 2s and retry rather than wait.
- Step two, dual-write: deploy the writer that populates tenant_id on every new revision while reads still use the join. Reversible by redeploying the previous build, because nothing reads the column yet.
Follow-up
- The backfill is half finished and a rollback is required. What state is the table in, and what does the previous build do with a half-populated column?
- How do you verify the backfill actually finished, given rows are still being inserted while it runs?
Explain the differences between object-oriented and functional programming.
Explain the differences between object-oriented and functional programming.
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
Can you describe a challenging technical problem you solved?
Can you describe a challenging technical problem you solved?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
What programming languages are you most proficient in and why?
What programming languages are you most proficient in and why?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
Design a system for a scalable e-commerce platform. What components would you include?
Design a system for a scalable e-commerce platform. What components would you include?
Approach
- Fix the scope first: who calls this, how often, and what they do when it fails.
- Name the read and write paths separately; they rarely have the same bottleneck.
- Choose a partition key and say what query it makes expensive.
- State the consistency you need, and where you are willing to be stale.
Follow-up
- What breaks first when traffic grows ten times?
- How does this behave when that dependency is down for an hour?
How would you handle load balancing for a web application?
How would you handle load balancing for a web application?
Approach
- Fix the scope first: who calls this, how often, and what they do when it fails.
- Name the read and write paths separately; they rarely have the same bottleneck.
- Choose a partition key and say what query it makes expensive.
- State the consistency you need, and where you are willing to be stale.
Follow-up
- What breaks first when traffic grows ten times?
- How does this behave when that dependency is down for an hour?
Discuss the trade-offs between microservices and a monolithic architecture.
Discuss the trade-offs between microservices and a monolithic architecture.
Approach
- Fix the scope first: who calls this, how often, and what they do when it fails.
- Name the read and write paths separately; they rarely have the same bottleneck.
- Choose a partition key and say what query it makes expensive.
- State the consistency you need, and where you are willing to be stale.
Follow-up
- What breaks first when traffic grows ten times?
- How does this behave when that dependency is down for an hour?
What strategies would you implement for data storage and retrieval?
What strategies would you implement for data storage and retrieval?
Approach
- Fix the scope first: who calls this, how often, and what they do when it fails.
- Name the read and write paths separately; they rarely have the same bottleneck.
- Choose a partition key and say what query it makes expensive.
- State the consistency you need, and where you are willing to be stale.
Follow-up
- What breaks first when traffic grows ten times?
- How does this behave when that dependency is down for an hour?
How do you ensure the security of your applications?
How do you ensure the security of your applications?
Approach
- Fix the scope first: who calls this, how often, and what they do when it fails.
- Name the read and write paths separately; they rarely have the same bottleneck.
- Choose a partition key and say what query it makes expensive.
- State the consistency you need, and where you are willing to be stale.
Follow-up
- What breaks first when traffic grows ten times?
- How does this behave when that dependency is down for an hour?
How would you approach optimizing an existing feature that is underperforming?
How would you approach optimizing an existing feature that is underperforming?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
Present a hypothetical scenario where a new feature causes unforeseen issues. How would you address it?
Present a hypothetical scenario where a new feature causes unforeseen issues. How would you address it?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
If you were tasked with reducing the load time of a webpage, what steps would you take?
If you were tasked with reducing the load time of a webpage, what steps would you take?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
How do you measure the success of a software feature?
How do you measure the success of a software feature?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
How do you approach debugging an application?
How do you approach debugging an application?
Approach
- Establish what changed and when, before forming any theory.
- Pick a bisection that eliminates candidates whichever way it turns out.
- Check the instrumentation before believing the symptom.
- Separate the trigger from the cause; the deploy is rarely the bug.
Follow-up
- What would you look at first, and what would it rule out?
- How would you tell a cause from a coincidence here?
Built from the rounds and topics Authentic Brands Group candidates report.
Prepare, practise & reflect
One practical outcome each day. Spend longer where you need it.
0 / 7 done01Map the Authentic Brands Group loop
- Write out the reported sequence: Application Review, Technical Interviews, Behavioral Assessments, Coding Challenges, Final Evaluation.
- For each round, write one sentence on what it is judging, from the description above, and mark the one you are least ready for.
Deliverable: A one-page map of the 5 reported rounds, with the weakest marked.
02Work Software Engineering
- Spend the session on Software Engineering, which Authentic Brands Group candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Software Engineering and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Software Engineering.
03Work Application Management
- Spend the session on Application Management, which Authentic Brands Group candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Application Management and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Application Management.
04Work Senior Leadership (Management)
- Spend the session on Senior Leadership (Management), which Authentic Brands Group candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Senior Leadership (Management) and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Senior Leadership (Management).
05Answer out loud: Technical / Domain Questions
- Answer aloud, timed: Explain the differences between object-oriented and functional programming.
- Answer aloud, timed: How do you approach debugging an application?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Technical / Domain Questions question(s), under time.
06Answer out loud: System Design / Architecture
- Answer aloud, timed: Design a system for a scalable e-commerce platform. What components would you include?
- Answer aloud, timed: How would you handle load balancing for a web application?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported System Design / Architecture question(s), under time.
07Answer out loud: Behavioral / Leadership
- Answer aloud, timed: Describe a time when you had to work with a difficult team member. How did you handle it?
- Answer aloud, timed: How do you prioritize tasks when managing multiple deadlines?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Behavioral / Leadership question(s), under time.
Expand any day for tasks and deliverables. Your progress is saved on this device.
Behavioural rounds judge the decision you made and what it cost.
What is your experience with RESTful APIs?
What is your experience with RESTful APIs?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
Describe a time when you had to work with a difficult team member. How did you handle it?
Describe a time when you had to work with a difficult team member. How did you handle it?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
How do you prioritize tasks when managing multiple deadlines?
How do you prioritize tasks when managing multiple deadlines?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
Share an example of how you have influenced a team’s decision.
Share an example of how you have influenced a team’s decision.
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
What role do you typically take in team projects?
What role do you typically take in team projects?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
How do you ensure effective communication within your team?
How do you ensure effective communication within your team?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
- 01
What is your experience with RESTful APIs?
- 02
Describe a time when you had to work with a difficult team member. How did you handle it?
- 03
How do you prioritize tasks when managing multiple deadlines?
- 04
Share an example of how you have influenced a team’s decision.
What is the interview difficulty like, and how much preparation time is typical?
The interview process is regarded as challenging, requiring a solid understanding of software engineering principles. Candidates typically spend several weeks preparing, focusing on coding skills, system design, and behavioral interviews.
Authentic Brands Group Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What differentiates successful candidates?
Successful candidates not only demonstrate strong technical skills but also show an ability to communicate effectively and work collaboratively within teams. A genuine interest in the company’s mission and values is also a differentiator.
Authentic Brands Group Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What is the culture and working style at Authentic Brands Group?
The culture at Authentic Brands Group emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity. Employees are encouraged to share ideas and contribute to a dynamic work environment where diverse perspectives are valued.
Authentic Brands Group Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What is the typical timeline from initial screen to offer?
The timeline can vary but generally ranges from 3 to 6 weeks. Candidates can expect a series of interviews, including technical assessments and behavioral evaluations.
Authentic Brands Group Software Engineer candidate reports ↗Are there remote work or hybrid expectations?
While many roles may allow for remote work, Authentic Brands Group values in-person collaboration. Hybrid arrangements may be available depending on the team and role requirements.
Authentic Brands Group Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What topics does Authentic Brands Group test in interviews?
Authentic Brands Group interviews most often cover Stakeholder Communication, Stakeholder Management, Cross-functional Collaboration, Risk Management, and Data-Driven Decision Making. The exact emphasis depends on the specific role you apply for.
Authentic Brands Group Software Engineer candidate reports ↗Sources & methodology 3 sources ↗
No official company page is cited. Rounds and questions come from candidate reports and PracHub editorial material; each source shows the date it was read.
- 01Authentic Brands Group Software Engineer candidate reports ↗
Company-reported rounds, questions and FAQ.
Candidate reports · Accessed 2026-09-22 - 02PracHub Software Engineer practice ↗
PracHub practice material, not company-reported.
PracHub page · Accessed 2026-09-22 - 03PracHub preparation framework ↗
PracHub preparation guidance.
PracHub page · Accessed 2026-09-22
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