I avoided all this just by becoming a contractor, i ship solution, no me tests me for leetcode ability
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No me no nice
Many hard LeetCode problems are easy constraint problems
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Re: Many hard LeetCode problems are easy constraint problems
#32Here’s my empirical evidence based on several recent “coding session” interviews with a variety of software companies. Background: I have been developing software for over 30 years, I hold a few patents, I’ve had a handful of modestly successful exits. I kind of know a little bit about what I am doing. At this stage in my career, I am no longer interested in the super early stage startup lifestyle, I’m looking at IC/…
There is something to be said for being senior in a way where the people interviewing you are junior enough that they don't necessarily have the experience to necessarily "click" with the nuance that comes with said problems.
That being said, from a stoicism point of view, the interview ends up becoming a meta-challenge on how you approach a problem that is not necessarily appropriately framed, and how you'd go about doing and/or gently correcting things as well.
And if they're not able to appreciate it, then success! You have found that it is not the right organization for you. No need to burn the door down on the way out, just feel relief in that you dodged a bullet (hopefully).
Re: Many hard LeetCode problems are easy constraint problems
#33Re: Many hard LeetCode problems are easy constraint problems
#34Re: Many hard LeetCode problems are easy constraint problems
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes and no: I've asked questions like this in interviews, and I'd count it as a plus if the candidate reached for a constraint solver. They're criminally underused in real-world software engineering and this would show the candidate probably knows how to get the right answer faster instead of wasting a bunch of time. Now, if they did answer with a constraint solver, I'd probably ask some followup whiteboard questions…
General constraint solver would be terribly inefficient for problems like these. It's a linear problem and constraint solver just can't handle O(10^6) variables without some beefy machine.
FWIW, the OP's problem is not linear. It's an integer programming problem.
A trick if you can't do a custom algorithm and using a library is not allowed during interview could be to be ready to roll your own DPLL-based solver (can be done in 30 LOC).
Less elegant, but it's a one-size-fits-all solution.
Re: Many hard LeetCode problems are easy constraint problems
#36I feel like if I'm being asked this in an interview, they're not asking me to use a constraint solver, they're asking me to _write_ a constraint solver. Just for a specific constraint problem, not a more general constraint solver.
Yes and no: I've asked questions like this in interviews, and I'd count it as a plus if the candidate reached for a constraint solver. They're criminally underused in real-world software engineering and this would show the candidate probably knows how to get the right answer faster instead of wasting a bunch of time. Now, if they did answer with a constraint solver, I'd probably ask some followup whiteboard questions…
Yes, especially if the interviewee said something like 'this may not be asymptomatically optimal, but if it's not a known bottleneck, then I might start with constraint solver to get something working quickly and then profile later.' Especially if it's a case where even the brute-force solution is tricky.
Otherwise penalizing interviewees for suggesting quick-and-dirty solutions reinforces bad habits. "Premature optimization is the root of all evil," after all.
Re: Many hard LeetCode problems are easy constraint problems
#37Here’s my empirical evidence based on several recent “coding session” interviews with a variety of software companies. Background: I have been developing software for over 30 years, I hold a few patents, I’ve had a handful of modestly successful exits. I kind of know a little bit about what I am doing. At this stage in my career, I am no longer interested in the super early stage startup lifestyle, I’m looking at IC/…
There is something to be said for being senior in a way where the people interviewing you are junior enough that they don't necessarily have the experience to necessarily "click" with the nuance that comes with said problems. That being said, from a stoicism point of view, the interview ends up becoming a meta-challenge on how you approach a problem that is not necessarily appropriately framed, and how you'd go about…
In a few cases, I really liked the company and what they were doing, got along wonderfully with the hiring manager. Then bombed their leetcode BS.
So when I say I’d politely tell them why they’re fucked, it’s actually out of a genuine desire to help the company.
But you’re right, I’m also thankful that they showed their red flag so visibly, early enough, and I’m happy to not move forward!
Re: Many hard LeetCode problems are easy constraint problems
#38I avoided all this just by becoming a contractor, i ship solution, no me tests me for leetcode ability
> faangguyindia
> contractor
Do FAANG hire contractor in India?
Re: Many hard LeetCode problems are easy constraint problems
#39Great insight. But this is sadly not applicable to interviews. > It's easy to do in O(n^2) time, or if you are clever, you can do it in O(n). Or you could be not clever at all and just write it as a constraint problem This nails it. The point of these problems is to test your cleverness. That's it. Presenting a not-clever solution of using constraint solvers shows that you have experience and your breadth of knowledg…
>The point of these problems is to test your cleverness. No it's just memorization of 12 or so specific patterns. The stakes are too high that virtually everyone going in will not be staking passing on their own inherent problem solving ability. LeetCode has been so thoroughly gamified that it has lost all utility of differentiability beyond willingness to prepare.
In defense of questions like this, “willingness to prepare” is a significant differentiator
Re: Many hard LeetCode problems are easy constraint problems
#40Great insight. But this is sadly not applicable to interviews. > It's easy to do in O(n^2) time, or if you are clever, you can do it in O(n). Or you could be not clever at all and just write it as a constraint problem This nails it. The point of these problems is to test your cleverness. That's it. Presenting a not-clever solution of using constraint solvers shows that you have experience and your breadth of knowledg…
When I interview with problem solving problems, the point is to understand how the candidate thinks, communicates, and decomposes problems. Critically, problem solving questions should have ways to progressively increase and decrease difficulty/complexity, so every candidate "gets a win" and no candidate "dunks the ball". Interviewers learn nothing from an instant epiphany, and they learn next to nothing from someone…
> the point is to understand how the candidate thinks, communicates, and decomposes problems.
100% and it's a shame that over time this has become completely lost knowledge, on both sides of the interview table, and "leetcode" is now seen as an arbitrary rote memorization hurdle/hazing ritual that software engineers have to pass to enter a lucrative FAANG career. Interviewees grind problems until they've memorized every question in the FAANG interview bank, and FAANG interviewers will watch a candidate spit out regurgitated code on a whiteboard in silence, shrug, and say "yep, they used the optimal dynamic programming solution, they pass."