Meta to test job applicants with AI-assisted coding interviews amid AI expansion plans: Report

Meta is preparing to introduce a significant change in its hiring process by incorporating artificial intelligence into coding interviews. According to a report by 404 Media, the tech giant will ask shortlisted candidates to use AI assistants during their technical assessments, a shift that mirrors the company’s increasing focus on generative AI across its operations.

Unlike traditional hiring methods where AI might be used to scan CVs, Meta wants applicants to directly use AI tools while solving coding challenges. Internal communications reviewed by the publication reveal that the company is developing this new approach to better simulate real-world environments in which its engineers are expected to operate.

“Meta is developing a new type of coding interview in which candidates have access to an AI assistant. This is more representative of the developer environment that our future employees will work in, and also makes LLM-based cheating less effective,” stated a post shared internally with staff earlier this month. The message also invited employees to participate in mock interviews to help refine the process, noting that “the questions are still in development; data from you will help shape the future of interviewing at Meta.”

The initiative underlines Meta’s growing emphasis on AI proficiency among its employees. As part of its strategic shift, the company has established Superintelligence Labs, indicating a move towards building a future workforce adept at working alongside, and even offloading tasks to, AI systems.

In a podcast appearance with Joe Rogan earlier this year, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, “I think this year, probably in 2025, we at Meta as well as the other companies that are basically working on this, are going to have an AI that can effectively be a mid-level engineer that you have at your company that can write code.”

This change comes in the wake of Meta’s February layoffs, when the company let go of 3,600 employees following what it described as lower-than-expected performance. The new AI-based interview structure is part of Meta’s long-term strategy to ensure future hires are equipped for the evolving demands of its AI-centric roadmap.