Software Engineer

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Given a string containing alphanumeric and special characters, determine if it's a palindrome, ignoring special characters and case. Can you do this in-place (without using extra space)? For example, 12@#.Race@#car is a palindrome. How would you approach this?

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Let's design a stories feature, similar to Instagram or WhatsApp. These stories should disappear after a friend views them and only be available for 24 hours after publishing. Consider the following aspects: Functionality: How would users create and upload stories (photos and videos)? How would users view stories from their friends? How would you implement the 24-hour expiration? How would you handle the disappearing aspect after viewing? Scalability: How would you handle a large number of users uploading and viewing stories simultaneously? How would you efficiently store and retrieve stories? How would you manage the storage as stories expire? Data Model: What database schema would you use to store story information (user, timestamp, media URL, view status)? How would you track which users have viewed a story? Technical Challenges: What are the potential challenges in implementing this feature? How would you address issues like latency, storage limitations, and data consistency? Edge Cases: How would you handle users with slow internet connections? What happens if a user uploads a story right before the 24-hour mark? How would you handle deleted user accounts and their associated stories?

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Describe your proudest project. What were the challenges, and what was your specific role in overcoming them? Elaborate on the technologies used, the impact the project had, and what you learned from the experience. For example, if you developed a new feature for a popular app, explain how it improved user engagement or solved a specific problem for users. Or, if you automated a critical business process, describe how it increased efficiency and reduced errors. If you led a project, explain how you motivated the team and overcame interpersonal challenges. Be sure to highlight your specific contributions and quantify the results whenever possible, showcasing the positive outcomes you helped achieve.