Senior Technical Program Manager, Silicon

Google

Given a tree data structure, and a set of nodes within that tree, how do you find all of their common parents? For example, consider a tree where node A is the root, and it has children B and C. Node B has children D and E, and node C has a child F. If the input set of nodes is {D, E, F}, then the common parents would be {B, C, A}. If the input set of nodes is {D, E}, then the common parents would be {B, A}. Design an algorithm to efficiently find these common parents, considering potential optimizations for different tree structures and sizes.

Google

Let's build an infinite scroll web page. Describe the key components, implementation details, and optimization strategies you would employ to create a smooth and efficient user experience. To clarify the requirements, imagine you are tasked with displaying a large dataset of images fetched from a remote server. The goal is to load and render these images as the user scrolls down the page, providing a seamless browsing experience without overwhelming the browser or causing performance issues. Specifically, address the following: Data Fetching: How would you handle fetching data in chunks from the server? What API endpoints and request parameters would you use? Consider how to manage the loading state to provide visual feedback to the user. Rendering: What techniques would you use to efficiently render the images? Consider the use of virtual DOM, lazy loading, and image optimization techniques. Scroll Handling: How would you detect when the user has scrolled to the bottom of the page and needs more data to be loaded? How would you prevent multiple requests from being triggered simultaneously? Performance Optimization: What strategies would you implement to optimize the performance of the infinite scroll? Consider techniques such as debouncing scroll events, caching data, and preloading images. Error Handling: How would you handle errors that might occur during data fetching or rendering? How would you display error messages to the user? Provide code snippets (in JavaScript, React, or any other relevant language) to illustrate your approach. Discuss any potential challenges or trade-offs involved in implementing an infinite scroll and how you would address them.

Google

Tell me about a time you faced a significant challenge and how you overcame it. To provide a detailed response, please consider the following: Describe the challenge:** What specific obstacles did you encounter? What made it difficult to handle? Explain your actions:** What steps did you take to address the challenge? What resources did you utilize? Did you seek help from others? Highlight your thought process:** What were your considerations when deciding on a course of action? What alternatives did you consider, and why did you choose your particular approach? Detail the outcome:** What was the result of your efforts? Did you successfully overcome the challenge? If so, what did you learn from the experience? If not, what would you do differently next time? For example, perhaps you were working on a complex software project with a tight deadline and encountered unexpected technical difficulties. Or, maybe you had to mediate a conflict between team members with differing opinions on how to approach a problem. Another example could involve learning a new programming language or technology in a short timeframe to meet a critical project requirement. When answering, be sure to provide enough context so the interviewer understands the situation and can assess your problem-solving skills, resilience, and ability to learn from challenges.