Atlassian

• Industry-leading remote work policy — work anywhere, no RTO mandate
• Strong brand on resume, globally recognised product suite
• Good parental leave (26 weeks primary carer)
• Interesting technical scale — millions of users on your code
• Diverse and globally distributed teams

• Stack ranking performance reviews introduced post-2022 leadership change
• Significant 10% layoff in March 2026 — morale hit across AU offices
• Highly political environment at senior levels
• Career progression slow unless you navigate internal politics
• Only 42% of Glassdoor reviewers would recommend — below AU tech average

"Solve a data structures & algorithms problem in your language of choice. Clean code matters — but what's most important is how you think through the problem."

💡 Atlassian explicitly states candidates pick their own language. They assess problem-solving approach, not memorised syntax.

"Code design problem: given a real-world scenario, how would you structure and architect the solution? Walk me through your design decisions."

💡 Second coding round — tests software design principles, not just algorithms.

"Design a real-world distributed system. We'll explore reliability, scalability and cost trade-offs together. The difficulty adjusts based on your responses — treat it as a collaborative discussion."

💡 60-minute session. Atlassian calls this a "ladder" approach — they go deeper depending on how well you handle each level.

"Walk me through a past project. What was the business justification? Who did you collaborate with? What technical challenges did you face, and what would you do differently?"

💡 The manager round assesses depth of ownership, communication, and self-reflection — not just technical skills.

"Tell me about a time you had to make a significant decision with incomplete information. What did you do, and what was the outcome?"

💡 Tests "Balanced" value — Atlassian wants people who can move forward under uncertainty without being paralysed.

"Describe a situation where you disagreed with a teammate's technical decision. How did you handle it, and what was the result?"

💡 Tests "Open" and "Balanced" values. Atlassian looks for people who can disagree respectfully and still move forward.

"Tell me about a time you had to balance moving fast with doing it right. How did you decide where to draw the line?"

💡 Tests "Efficient" and "Artisan" values — Atlassian wants engineers who care about craft but can also ship.