Cracking the Magic Leap Interview: The Top Technical and Behavioral Questions You’ll Get

Landing an interview at Magic Leap is no small feat. As one of the most hyped and well-funded startups working on innovative augmented reality tech, competition for roles is fierce.

This cutting-edge company has an emphasis on moonshot thinking and creativity. With over 2000 employees pushing the boundaries of spatial computing, you can expect the interview process to be robust.

We’ve compiled the top technical and behavioral questions candidates report being asked during Magic Leap interviews across roles from engineering to project management

With insights into what interviewers want to assess with each question, and sample answers, you’ll be well-equipped to showcase your talents Let’s dive in!

Technical Interview Questions

Magic Leap’s technical interview will rigorously assess your hard skills. Be ready to get into the weeds.

1. Explain how our eye focuses on objects at different depths.

This tests your understanding of optics and physiology, It’s core knowledge for developing AR experiences

Tips:

• Discuss how the lens changes shape to focus light from objects at different distances onto the retina.

• Explain near and far sightedness and how they relate to the eye’s focusing ability.

• Share how depth perception uses both eyes to gain 3D information.

2. Describe the basics of how our AR headsets render digital content onto the real world.

They want to see you grasp the underlying tech. Study up on waveguides, digital lightfield, and focal planes.

Tips:

• Explain how light is injected into waveguides and bounced towards the eyes.

• Discuss how focal planes located at different depths allow virtual objects to be overlaid convincingly.

• Share challenges like vergence-accommodation conflict that must be overcome.

3. Walk me through how our hand-tracking controller detects gestures and interactions.

Gesture control is key for natural AR experiences. Show your understanding here.

Tips:

• Discuss sensors like infrared cameras that precisely track hand position and movement.

• Explain how IMUs measure orientation, and algorithms differentiate between gestures.

• Share machine learning techniques used to improve accuracy over time.

4. What computer vision techniques could we use for real-time environmental mapping?

CV abilities are highly valued. Discuss relevant methods like SLAM or neural networks.

Tips:

• Explain using techniques like feature extraction to identify key points and objects.

• Discuss stereo reconstruction by comparing images from multiple cameras.

• Share how convolutional neural nets can classify objects seen by headsets.

5. How might you optimize a 3D model for rendering in a resource-constrained AR system?

Resource optimization is critical for mobile AR. Discuss your 3D optimization chops.

Tips:

• Suggest strategies like reducing polygon count, using normal/bump maps to fake details.

• Discuss level-of-detail approaches that render higher complexity only when needed.

• Mention optimizing materials and shaders by reducing complexity and using atlasing.

6. How could we leverage AR for spatial collaborative experiences between multiple users?

Multi-user AR is an emerging frontier. Outline related opportunities and challenges.

Tips:

• Discuss the potential for shared virtual spaces and holograms synchronized between users.

• Explain the need to precisely coordinate environments and positioning across devices.

• Share challenges like syncing interactions across sessions with latency and bandwidth limits.

7. What considerations would you take into account when designing an AR UI?

UI/UX design requires special care with AR. Demonstrate you grasp key principles.

Tips:

• Discuss decoupling UI elements from world coordinates so they stay easily visible.

• Explain principles like maintaining proper focal distance when overlaying UI components.

• Share the need to avoid occluding important real-world areas like doorways.

Behavioral Interview Questions

Magic Leap’s behavioral questions are focused on learning about you and how you’d fit into the team.

1. Tell me about a time you solved a complex technical challenge. What was your approach?

They want to understand your technical problem-solving abilities when faced with ambiguity.

Tips:

• Share a specific example that conveys the complexity of the problem.

• Discuss how you broke down the problem space and identified potential solutions.

• Emphasize key soft skills like persistence and creative-thinking.

2. Describe a conflict you faced working on a team. How did you handle it?

This assesses your people skills and maturity when navigating team dynamics.

Tips:

• Focus on listening first to understand all perspectives without judgement.

• Emphasize collaborating to find a solution that works for the team and project.

• Discuss proactively addressing issues early before they fester.

3. Talk about a time you failed or made a mistake. What did you learn?

They want to see you can reflect on and grow from mistakes. Don’t be afraid to share something real.

Tips:

• Choose an example that showcases maturity in responding to difficulties.

• Emphasize personal accountability and focusing energy into improvement.

• Discuss how it influenced your approach or mindset after.

4. Why do you want to work at Magic Leap specifically?

Convey passion for their technology and mission. Do your research beforehand.

Tips:

• Express excitement for shaping the future of spatial computing and AR.

• Share examples of ML innovations that inspire you.

• Discuss ways you’ll uniquely contribute based on your background.

5. How do you stay up-to-date on emerging technologies in your domain?

Lifelong learning is key in such a rapidly changing industry. Share your habits.

Tips:

• Mention publications, blogs, events or communities you follow.

• Discuss experimenting with new tools and technologies hands-on.

• Share studying research papers and seeking out subject matter experts.

6. How do you balance delivering features fast with writing high-quality, maintainable code?

Convey your sensibilities around technical debt and shipping velocity.

Tips:

• Advocate for strong foundations through testing, documentation, and automation.

• Discuss agile best practices like refactoring tech debt items into each sprint.

• Share gathering metrics to quantify the tradeoffs of faster iterations.

7. Tell me about a time you stepped up as a leader on your team.

Demonstrate you can lead projects and motivate others when needed.

Tips:

• Choose an example highlighting leadership skills like mentoring, decision-making, and influencing.

• Share how you helped set a vision and rallied others towards it.

• Discuss positive outcomes you drove through conscious leadership.

Takeaways

Preparing thoughtful responses to Magic Leap’s technical and behavioral interview questions will help you stand out amid fierce competition. Show them you have the right mix of hard skills, culture fit, and leadership potential to thrive on their tech-pushing teams.

With diligent practice using sample questions, you’ll be ready to have an engaging discussion about your qualifications. Stay confident, be yourself, and good luck! You’ve got this.