[D] How hard is it to get Research Engineer interview from Deepmind?

A recent mathematics and physics graduate has sparked discussion by asking about the competitiveness of landing a Research Engineer interview at DeepMind, Google's premier AI research lab. The candidate, who is actively pursuing quant-research roles, described the DeepMind opening as "one of the most interesting" they've seen, specifically citing its appeal at the intersection of their academic fields and machine learning. This inquiry underscores the magnetic pull of elite AI labs for top STEM talent seeking to apply fundamental science to cutting-edge AI problems.

The user's experience provides a data point on the high barrier to entry, noting a previous unsuccessful application for an AI Fellowship at Anthropic, another leading AI safety company, where they "didn't get far" after the initial online assessment (OA). The post has gone viral within tech communities, highlighting widespread curiosity about the opaque hiring funnels at companies like DeepMind, Anthropic, and OpenAI. The discussion reveals that these roles are among the most sought-after and selective in the industry, often requiring exceptional research prowess, strong publication records, or competition-level problem-solving skills beyond standard software engineering interviews.