What is Interview Skool?

Interview Skool is an AI-powered mock interview platform that simulates real FAANG-style coding and system design interviews. An AI interviewer named Alex walks you through every stage: problem clarification, approach design, complexity analysis, coding, and hidden test suite evaluation for coding; requirements, architecture, and deep dives on a whiteboard for system design, and issues a hiring signal at the end.

Does Interview Skool support system design interviews?

Yes. Pick a problem (or go random) and a level: SDE-2, SDE-3, or Staff Engineer. You design on an interactive whiteboard while talking through requirements, architecture, and deep dives with Alex, and get a 0–100 score with per-parameter feedback and level readiness.

How does the AI interviewer work?

Alex is an AI interviewer. It asks probing clarifying questions, validates your approach, challenges your complexity analysis, observes your code against hidden test cases in real time, and adapts its follow-up questions based on your answers, just like a real FAANG engineer would.

Which companies does Interview Skool prepare you for?

Interview Skool currently supports Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and many more companies. Problems are sourced from real interviews at those companies and calibrated to the difficulty bar for SDE-1, SDE-2, and SDE-3+ levels.

What programming languages can I use?

You can code in JavaScript, Python, Java, C++, or TypeScript. Pick the language you are most comfortable with.

How is Interview Skool different from LeetCode?

LeetCode is a problem bank, you solve problems alone and get a pass/fail. Interview Skool simulates the actual interview conversation: Alex asks questions, challenges your reasoning, and evaluates how you communicate, not just whether your code passes. You get a hiring signal and 12-dimension feedback, not just test results.

What is a hiring signal?

A hiring signal is the recommendation a real interviewer would make after your session: Strong Yes, Yes, Lean Yes, or No. Interview Skool computes yours from 12 dimensions including code correctness, communication, DSA knowledge, and optimization mindset.

How much does Interview Skool cost?

Interview Skool offers paid plans. Sign in with Google to see current pricing and get started.

Is it Interview School or Interview Skool?

Interview Skool is a distinct AI-powered mock interview platform at interviewskool.com. The brand is written with a space; the domain is unspaced, and it also appears as 'InterviewSkool' — all three refer to this same platform. Interview Skool is NOT Interview School (interviews.school), which is a different career platform. Interview Skool focuses on coding execution and technical system design with real-time voice AI.

Is Google offering voluntary exit packages in 2026?

Yes. On November 4, 2026 Google confirmed that since June 2026 it has offered voluntary exit packages to some employees in Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland. US teams have had similar offers since January 2025.

How much severance is Google offering in its voluntary exit program?

Google has not published the terms. In Switzerland, the offer was reported as one month of salary for each year worked, up to a maximum of 12 months. Terms may differ by country.

Which Google teams are excluded from voluntary exits?

In Switzerland, Google DeepMind was left out. Earlier Google voluntary exit rounds also left out Google Cloud. Google says AI and cloud are its main hiring areas.

Did Google lay people off after its voluntary exit program?

In the Platforms & Devices unit (Android, Pixel, Chrome), Google ran a voluntary exit offer in January 2025 and laid off hundreds of people there in April 2025. Google has not said whether layoffs will follow the 2026 round.

Why is Google offering voluntary exits?

Alphabet expects to spend $195-205 billion on capital costs in 2026, mostly on AI data centers and chips, and is moving money and people into AI and cloud. Voluntary exits let people who no longer fit that direction leave with a package.

Google Voluntary Exit Program 2026: Countries, Severance and What It Means for Engineers

Last updated: November 5, 2026. Google has not shared full numbers. We will update this page as more is confirmed.

On November 4, 2026, Google confirmed that it has been offering voluntary exit packages to employees in five countries since June: Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland. The news was first reported by Reuters.

A voluntary exit means the company asks people if they want to leave, and pays them a package if they say yes. Nobody is forced to take it.

This is not Google's first round. Google has run these programs for its US teams since January 2025. What changed in 2026 is that the program went global.

A Google spokesperson said: "This past summer, in June, we expanded this program globally in a few countries."

The news landed in the same two weeks as similar offers from Microsoft and Meta. Here is what Google is offering, how it got here, and what it means if you are a software engineer.

Key Facts at a Glance

Detail	What we know
Confirmed	November 4, 2026 (first reported by Reuters)
Started	June 2026 for the five new countries; US teams since January 2025
Countries (2026 round)	Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland
Who	Some employees in teams that chose to take part
Left out	DeepMind (in Switzerland). Earlier rounds also left out Google Cloud
Severance (Switzerland)	1 month of salary per year worked, up to 12 months (reported)
How many	Google has not shared a total
India	Not included

What Is Google Offering?

Google has not published the terms. But the details from Switzerland, where Google has about 5,000 employees, give a good picture:

Severance: 1 month of salary for every year you worked at Google, up to a maximum of 12 months. So someone with 4 years at Google would get about 4 months of salary.
Timeline: the offer was announced in mid-June, people had to reply by mid-July, and the first people left in August.
Who was left out: Google DeepMind, Google's main AI research lab.
How many said yes: in one team of about 50 people, at least 4 took the offer. That is one team only, not a company-wide number.

Google executives have described the program as an option for people who "no longer feel aligned" with Google's pace or direction.

Google's Voluntary Exits: Full Timeline

When	What happened	Where
January 2025	Voluntary exit offer for the Platforms & Devices unit (Android, Pixel, Chrome)	US
April 2025	Hundreds laid off in Platforms & Devices, after the voluntary offer closed	US
June 2025	Offers expand to Knowledge & Information (Search, ads, commerce), central engineering, marketing, research and communications	US
2025	Google reportedly cuts about a third of managers who led small teams	Global
February 2026	Offers to some roles in the Global Business Organization (sales support, solutions and other business teams)	US
June 2026	Program expands to Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland	5 countries
November 4, 2026	Google confirms the global expansion

Notice the pattern in 2025: in Platforms & Devices, the voluntary offer came first, and layoffs followed a few months later. That does not mean the same will happen this time, but it is worth knowing.

Why Is Google Doing This?

The short answer: AI costs a lot, and Google wants every team to move fast on AI.

Alphabet (Google's parent company) expects to spend $195–205 billion on capital costs in 2026, mostly on AI data centers and chips. It says spending will rise again in 2027.
Google's CFO, Anat Ashkenazi, has named AI and cloud as the main areas where Google is still hiring.
The teams that keep getting left out of the offers (DeepMind, and in past rounds Google Cloud) are the ones Google is growing.

So Google is not shrinking everywhere. It is moving money and people from older areas into AI and cloud.

What It Means for Google Employees in India and the US

India: Google's 2026 voluntary exit program does not include India. Google's offices in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Gurugram are not part of the five countries. Of the three Big Tech offers this month, only Microsoft's covers India.

US: The new 2026 round is outside the US. But US teams have had their own offers since 2025, team by team (Platforms & Devices, Knowledge & Information, central engineering, the Global Business Organization and others). If your team gets an offer, it will come from your own leadership.

Google vs Microsoft vs Meta

	Google	Microsoft	Meta
When	Since June 2026, confirmed Nov 4	Announced Oct 26, 2026	Reported Nov 2026
Countries	Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Switzerland	US, India, UK, Canada	France
How many	Not shared	~60,000 eligible	~100 of ~300 in France
Package	1 month's pay per year, up to 12 months (Switzerland)	Standard Microsoft severance + stock vesting + health cover	2.15 months' pay per year + up to 10 months' leave at 80%
Left out	DeepMind; past rounds also Google Cloud	Some sales, marketing and engineering teams	Not shared

If You Get an Offer: Questions to Ask Yourself

(This is general information, not financial or legal advice. Read your own offer carefully and ask HR about anything unclear.)

Were you already planning to leave? If yes, a package is money for something you were going to do anyway. If you love your team, an offer is not a reason to go.
How many months can you live without a salary? Job searches often take 2–4 months, sometimes more. Add your savings to the package.
What happens to your Google stock (GSUs)? Find out exactly which unvested shares you would lose. This is often the biggest number in the whole decision.
Is your work growing or shrinking at Google? If your team keeps getting offers while AI and cloud teams grow, that tells you something about the future of your role.
Are you on a work visa? In the US, H-1B holders usually get a grace period of up to 60 days after their job ends. Outside the US, rules differ by country. Check before you accept.

How to Stay Interview-Ready

Whether you are at Google or interviewing to join, the safest plan is to keep your interview skills fresh:

Coding: about 15 patterns cover most coding interviews. Practise one problem a day using our free DSA guides.
System design: expected for SDE 2 / L4 and above. Start with What is System Design? and practise with our case studies.
AI experience: be ready to answer "How have you used AI tools in your work?" with real examples.

Interviewing at Google? These will help:

Your Next Steps

Step 1: See what Google asks (free)

Browse 600+ real coding interview questions from Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon and more, sorted by how often they are asked.

See Google Interview Questions →

Step 2: Claim a free mock interview

If you have been laid off or are leaving through a voluntary exit, we will give you a free interview credit. Sign in with Google and leave a note. We approve within 6–12 hours.

Claim Free Credit →

Step 3: Practice under pressure

Knowing the answer is not the same as giving it with someone watching. Alex runs real interview conditions: a timer, follow-up questions and hidden test cases, then gives you a scored report.

Start a Mock Interview →

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