Staff Software Engineer, Metrics and Business Intelligence

Google

Tic-tac-toe is played by two players A and B on a 3 x 3 grid. The rules of Tic-Tac-Toe are: Players take turns placing characters into empty squares ''. The first player A always places 'X' characters, while the second player B always places 'O' characters. 'X' and 'O' characters are always placed into empty squares, never on filled ones. The game ends when there are three of the same (non-empty) character filling any row, column, or diagonal. The game also ends if all squares are non-empty. No more moves can be played if the game is over. Given a 2D integer array moves where moves[i] = [rowi, coli] indicates that the ith move will be played on gridrowi. return the winner of the game if it exists (A or B). In case the game ends in a draw return Draw. If there are still movements to play return Pending. You can assume that moves is valid (i.e., it follows the rules of Tic-Tac-Toe), the grid is initially empty, and A will play first. For example: moves = [[0,0],[2,0],[1,1],[2,1],[2,2]] Output: A moves = [[0,0],[1,1],[0,1],[0,2],[1,0],[2,0]] Output: B moves = [[0,0],[1,1],[2,0],[1,0],[1,2],[2,1],[0,1],[0,2],[2,2]] Output: Draw

Google

Let's design a system for URL shortening, like TinyURL. Assume that we need to handle a large number of requests, say billions of URLs per day. Consider the following: Functional Requirements: The system should generate a shorter, unique alias for a given URL. Users should be able to enter a shortened URL and be redirected to the original URL. The shortened URLs should be relatively short. Non-Functional Requirements: The system should be highly available. URL redirection should be as fast as possible. The shortened URLs should be unique. The system should be scalable to handle a large number of URLs and requests. Considerations: How would you design the data model to store the mappings between shortened and original URLs? What algorithms would you use to generate the shortened URLs? Consider the trade-offs between different algorithms. How would you handle collisions (when the same shortened URL is generated for two different original URLs)? What kind of database would you use and why? How would you handle the high volume of traffic and ensure low latency for redirection? Consider caching strategies. How would you scale the system to handle future growth? Walk me through your design, explaining your choices and the rationale behind them. Include diagrams and specific technologies where appropriate. Explain how you would ensure the system meets the requirements for availability, performance, and scalability.

Google

Can you describe a time you had to work with a difficult team member and how you handled the situation? This is a common behavioral interview question designed to assess your interpersonal skills, conflict resolution abilities, and ability to work effectively in a team environment, even when faced with challenges. When answering this question, it's crucial to provide a specific example, detailing the situation, your actions, and the resulting outcome. This allows the interviewer to understand your approach and evaluate your effectiveness. For instance, you might discuss a project where a team member consistently missed deadlines, hindering the team's progress. In your response, you should: Describe the Situation: Clearly outline the project, the team member's role, and the specific behaviors that made them difficult to work with (e.g., missed deadlines, lack of communication, negative attitude). Be objective and avoid accusatory language. Explain Your Actions: Detail the steps you took to address the situation. Did you have a one-on-one conversation with the team member? Did you involve a supervisor or mentor? Did you try to understand the reasons behind their behavior? Did you adjust your own approach to accommodate their needs? Highlight the Result: Explain the outcome of your actions. Were you able to resolve the issue? Did the team member improve their performance? What did you learn from the experience? Even if the outcome wasn't ideal, focus on the lessons learned and how you would approach a similar situation in the future. Remember, the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) can be a helpful framework for structuring your answer. The interviewer wants to see that you can navigate challenging interpersonal dynamics professionally and contribute to a positive team environment.