Netflix, Atlassian, Stripe, Uber & Apple

Intermediate · 18 min read · Company Guides, More Companies

Each company's stated values, what they mean in an interview, and which stories to lead with.

Many companies publish their values and expect candidates to have read them. Interviewers often score behavioral answers against exactly those values. This lesson covers five companies with distinctive cultures, and gives a method that works for any company, including startups and product companies that don't publish…

The method for any company

Netflix

Netflix's culture memo is one of the most famous in tech. Its current version lists eight values for its "dream team":

Atlassian

Atlassian has had the same five values since 2006, and it says they shape its culture and even who it hires, so expect questions aimed at them.

Stripe

Stripe publishes six operating principles describing how it makes decisions, collaborates and serves users:

Uber

Uber introduced its current cultural values in 2021. As listed on Uber's own pages, they are:

Apple

Apple doesn't publish an interview values framework like the companies above, so rely on what's consistently reported. Cracking the Coding Interview (2015) describes the Apple process as low on bureaucracy and team-based: you interview with the team and people it works with, sometimes in two-on-one interviews.

Startups and product companies

Companies without published values tend to probe the same few things:

Further reading

Key takeaways

  • Find a company's values, translate each into behaviour, and tag your stories with them.
  • Netflix: eight values, people over process, extraordinary candour and the keeper test.
  • Atlassian: five long-standing values, used in hiring. Stripe: six operating principles, writing-heavy culture.
  • Uber: eight values centred on the marketplace, safety and ambition. Apple: product passion, detail and team-specific depth.
  • Startups test ownership, speed with judgment, ambiguity, breadth and closeness to customers.

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