Compute Runtime Software Engineer

Apple

Let's explore dynamic programming with a classic problem: the knapsack problem. Imagine you have a knapsack with a limited weight capacity, and a collection of items, each with its own weight and value. Your goal is to select the items to put into the knapsack to maximize the total value, without exceeding the weight capacity. Specifically: Problem Statement: You are given a knapsack with a maximum weight capacity W. You are also given n items. Each item i has a weight wi and a value vi. Determine the maximum total value of items that can be placed in the knapsack without exceeding its weight capacity. Example: Knapsack capacity W = 10 Items: Item 1: weight = 6, value = 30 Item 2: weight = 3, value = 14 Item 3: weight = 4, value = 16 Item 4: weight = 2, value = 9 What is the maximum value you can obtain by putting items into the knapsack, and which items should you choose? Explain how you would approach this problem using dynamic programming. Be sure to define the subproblems, the recurrence relation, and the base cases. Also, discuss the time and space complexity of your dynamic programming solution.

Apple

Let's design a system for URL shortening, like TinyURL. Assume a large-scale service. Please consider the following aspects in your design: Functional Requirements: The system should generate shorter URLs (a.k.a. short links) given longer URLs. Users should be able to navigate to the original URL by entering the short link in their browser. The system should be highly available. Non-Functional Requirements: The system should have low latency for both URL shortening and redirection. Short links should be relatively short (e.g., 6-8 characters). The system should be able to handle a large number of URL shortening and redirection requests. Capacity Estimation: Assume 100 million URLs are shortened per day. Assume 1 billion URL redirections per day. Estimate storage requirements for 5 years. Design Considerations: How would you generate unique short links? What data structures and databases would you use to store the URL mappings? How would you handle collisions when generating short links? How would you optimize for low latency redirection? How would you scale the system to handle the expected traffic? Walk me through your design, explaining your choices and the trade-offs you considered. Provide diagrams where necessary to illustrate the architecture.

Apple

Let's explore your motivations and understanding of Apple as a company. This role requires a deep commitment and genuine enthusiasm for our products and values. To start, I'd like to understand your perspective. Why are you interested in working at Apple, specifically?** What aspects of our company culture, products, or mission resonate with you? Can you provide specific examples that demonstrate your understanding of Apple's ecosystem and how it differentiates itself from competitors? Perhaps you can discuss how Apple's approach to innovation aligns with your own professional values and career goals? Furthermore, if you were to join our team, what unique contributions do you believe you could make to Apple's continued success? I'm looking for more than just a generic answer about wanting a job. I want to hear about a real connection to Apple and a clear vision for your potential role within the company. Think about our commitment to user experience, our focus on privacy, and our history of groundbreaking innovation. How do these factors influence your desire to be a part of Apple?