Canva Revolutionizes Developer Hiring with Mandatory AI Use in Technical Interviews

Canva now requires use of AI during developer job interviews

Design software slinger warns it won't hire devs who aren't good at modern tools Australian SaaS-y graphic design service Canva now requires candidates for developer jobs to use AI coding assistants during the interview process. Found in 2012, Canva started as a go-to web-based tool for DIY designers, then grew rapidly into a more serious competitor to Adobe in the enterprise. The company, which is still privately held, now reportedly serves more than 220 million monthly users and hit $3 billion in annual recurring revenue in 2024. Canva's hiring process previously included an interview focused on computer science fundamentals, during which it required candidates to write code using only their actual human brains. The company now expects candidates for frontend, backend, and machine learning engineering roles to demonstrate skill with tools like Copilot, Cursor, and Claude during technical interviews, Canva head of platforms Simon Newton wrote in a Tuesday blog post. AI tools are essential for staying productive and competitive in modern software development His rationale for the change is that nearly half of Canva's frontend and backend engineers use AI coding assistants daily, that it's now expected behavior, and that the tools are "essential for staying productive and competitive in modern software development." Yet Canva's old interview process "asked candidates to solve coding problems without the very tools they'd use on the job," Newton admitted. "This dismissal of AI tools during the interview process meant we weren't truly evaluating how candidates would perform in their actual role," he added. Candidates were already starting to use AI assistants during interview tasks - and sometimes used subterfuge to hide it. "Rather than fighting this reality and trying to police AI usage, we made the decision to embrace transparency and work with this new reality," Newton wrote. "This approach gives us a clearer signal about how they'll actually perform when they join our team." Canva's existing engineers did not like the change. "The initial reaction was worry that we were simply replacing rigorous computer science fundamentals with what one engineer called 'vibe-coding sessions'," Newton wrote. Canva addressed those worries by pointing out that it will continue to test for basic computer science skills, just in different ways. The company piloted a recruitment process that sees candidates expected to use their preferred AI tools, to solve what Newton described as "the kind of challenges that require genuine engineering judgment even with AI assistance." "These problems can't be solved with a single prompt; they require iterative thinking, requirement clarification, and good decision-making." That pilot tested candidates for the following skills: Newton said successful candidates "didn't just prompt AI and accept whatever it generated" but instead demonstrated the ability to use coding assistants selectively to improve their output. "Interestingly, candidates with minimal AI experience often struggled, not because they couldn't code, but because they lacked the judgment to guide AI effectively or identify when its suggestions were suboptimal," Newton said. "We believe the future belongs to engineers who can seamlessly blend human creativity and judgment with AI capabilities," Newton added. He rated the early tests of Canva's new recruitment process "promising." "Our AI-assisted interviews feel more engaging for both candidates and interviewers, and they're providing strong predictive signals about candidate performance," he wrote. "Most importantly, they're helping us identify engineers who can leverage AI thoughtfully and effectively. Exactly the kind of people we want building the future of visual communication." Which rather suggests experience with AI coding assistants has become an important developer skill, at least if you want a gig at Canva. ®

Canva Pioneers AI In Job Interviews | AIM

Canva, the design platform, is rewriting the rules of technical interviews. The company now expects candidates for engineering roles to actively use AI tools such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and Claude during their assessments, aligning its hiring process with modern software development practices. The update applies to backend, frontend, and machine learning roles. According to Canva, nearly half of its engineers already use AI tools daily to navigate large codebases, prototype quickly, and write production-ready code. Until recently, however, interviewees were barred from using these same tools. "Dismissal of AI tools during the interview process meant we weren't truly evaluating how candidates would perform in their actual role," the company wrote in the blog post. Furthermore, they noted that the traditional algorithm-heavy assessments failed to reflect the real demands of engineering work, which now includes AI-aided problem solving, code review, and iteration. Rather than trying to detect covert AI use, Canva has introduced a new interview format called "AI-Assisted Coding," which encourages candidates to solve product-focused challenges with their preferred AI assistants. The questions are deliberately complex and ambiguous -- designed to test a candidate's technical judgment, comprehension, and ability to refine AI-generated code. Initial results from the pilot were promising. Candidates who succeeded demonstrated strong debugging skills and strategic AI usage. In contrast, those unfamiliar with AI often struggled, not due to a lack of coding ability but due to difficulty steering the tools effectively. The company says this shift is part of a broader "AI Everywhere" philosophy. Candidates are informed in advance and urged to practise using AI tools before the interview. Canva mentions that technical rigour remains essential but is now assessed in context, with AI as part of the workflow.