SDE 1
Interview Date
October 23, 2024
Result
Offered (Candidate did not join)
Difficulty
Medium
Rounds
4 rounds (Recruiter Meet + 2 Technical + CEO)
Drive Type
Full-Time
Topics asked
Detailed experience
College: Not Specified
Interview Date: October 23, 2024
Interview Type: Full-Time
Result: Offered (Candidate did not join)
Difficulty: Medium
Rounds: 4 rounds (Recruiter Meet + 2 Technical + CEO)
Topics Asked: Backend concepts, Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA), System Design, Database (Indexes), Networking (TCP/UDP), SQL/NoSQL, Company Culture, Hardwork ethic
The candidate received an offer for an SDE 1 role but did not join due to negative reviews about the company's work culture.
Initial Recruiter Meet: Conducted over Google Meet. The recruiter asked about the candidate's reasons for seeking a change and the scale of backend work experience. Surprisingly, the recruiter also asked college/placement level CS questions like the difference between TCP/UDP and SQL/NoSQL, which the candidate found easy to explain.
Technical Round 1: Taken by an SDE III. The interviewer asked similar questions to the recruiter round, suggesting a prepared question sheet. Questions included database indexes (what happens if every column is indexed). A DSA problem involving a partial implementation of an LRU Cache was also given, which the candidate solved easily.
Technical Round 2: This round was with the Director of Engineering (DOE). It was described as "unusual." A peculiar question asked was, "How much will you rate yourself in hardwork on a scale of 1-10?" (The "correct" answer was implied to be 10). This round also included a System Design problem for Quora, focusing on requirements, REST API, and model design. The candidate felt they did "fairly" well in System Design despite limited experience and passed the round.
CEO Round: This round was with the CEO, Saket Modi. The discussion was entirely focused on the company's culture, which has a "super long culture deck." The candidate was repeatedly advised to review this culture deck. The CEO round went well, and the CEO confirmed the candidate's selection.
The overall interview experience was described as "nice," but the candidate opted out due to concerns about an intensive/toxic work culture indicated by reviews and warnings given during the interview process (e.g., 45-day sprints working 9-9, including WFH on weekends).