Software Engineer - Data Engineering

Apple

Write a function that uses iteration to print all numbers from 1 to a given number. For example, if the input is 5, the function should print: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Now, extend this function to print only the even numbers within that range. For instance, if the input is 10, the output should be: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. Finally, modify the function to accept a second argument, which represents the step size. Using iteration, print numbers starting from 1 up to the given number, incrementing by the step size. As an example, given the number 15 and a step size of 3, the expected output is: 1, 4, 7, 10, 13. Be sure to handle edge cases and invalid inputs appropriately.

Apple

Let's discuss platform architecture. Imagine you are tasked with designing a platform for a rapidly growing social media company. This platform needs to handle millions of users, support various media types (images, videos, text), and provide real-time updates. Consider the following: Scalability: How would you design the architecture to ensure it can handle increasing user traffic and data volume? Discuss specific technologies and strategies (e.g., load balancing, caching, sharding). Reliability: What measures would you take to ensure the platform remains available and fault-tolerant? Consider redundancy, monitoring, and disaster recovery. Performance: How would you optimize the platform for speed and responsiveness? Address concerns like database performance, content delivery, and API design. Security: What security considerations would you prioritize to protect user data and prevent attacks? Think about authentication, authorization, encryption, and vulnerability management. Cost: How would you balance performance, scalability, and reliability with cost-effectiveness? Discuss trade-offs and potential cost optimization strategies. Provide a high-level overview of your proposed architecture, including key components, technologies, and design principles. Explain your reasoning behind each choice and how it contributes to the overall goals of the platform. For example, would you choose a microservices architecture or a monolithic architecture? What type of database would you use and why? How would you handle real-time updates and notifications? What CDNs would you use?

Apple

Let's say a developer doesn't agree that a reported bug is actually a bug. How would you handle this situation? Be specific. For example, imagine you're a QA engineer, and you find that a button on a webpage is slightly misaligned in a specific browser. You log this as a bug, but the front-end developer says it's 'within acceptable tolerances' and refuses to fix it. Or, perhaps a back-end developer claims that a specific edge-case error is so rare it's not worth the effort to address, even though you believe it violates the product's stated reliability goals. What steps would you take to resolve the disagreement while maintaining a positive working relationship and ensuring product quality? Consider the different approaches you could take based on the severity and impact of the potential bug.