Technical Program Manager, Enterprise Architecture

Google

Let's simulate a coding interview scenario. I'd like you to solve a problem and articulate your thought process as you go. Imagine you're given an array of integers. Your task is to write a function that finds the length of the longest strictly increasing subsequence in that array. A strictly increasing subsequence is a sequence of numbers from the array such that each number is greater than the previous one, and their original order in the array is maintained. For example, in the array [1, 3, 2, 4, 5], one possible increasing subsequence is [1, 2, 4, 5], and the longest increasing subsequence is [1, 2, 4, 5], which has a length of 4. Another possible increasing subsequence is [1, 3, 4, 5] which has length of 4. Your function should return 4 in this case. Another example is [10, 9, 2, 5, 3, 7, 101, 18]. The longest increasing subsequence is [2, 3, 7, 18], which has a length of 4. Your function should return 4. Can you describe your approach and then implement the function? Consider edge cases, like an empty array or an array with only one element. How would your approach handle those? What is the time and space complexity of your solution?

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

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.