Google Software Engineer interview questions

It was both exhilarating and intense, beginning with a recruiter reaching out via LinkedIn after I applied through their careers portal. The process kicked off with a 45-minute phone screen where I tackled algorithmic problems on a shared coding platform, focusing on data structures like arrays and trees, which I nailed thanks to rigorous LeetCode practice. Advancing to the onsite rounds at their Mountain View campus, I endured a grueling day of five back-to-back interviews: two on coding challenges involving dynamic programming and graph traversal, one on system design where I architected a scalable messaging app akin to Google Chat, a behavioral session delving into past projects and teamwork using the STAR method, and finally, a casual chat with a potential manager about company culture and my passion for AI-driven innovations. Despite the brain-teasing puzzles and whiteboard sessions that tested my problem-solving under pressure, the interviewers were supportive and insightful, providing subtle hints when I got stuck. Ultimately, while I didn't land the offer due to stiff competition, the experience honed my skills, offered valuable feedback on optimizing code efficiency, and reinforced my admiration for Google's emphasis on innovation and work-life balance.

Recruiter was nice and cooperative, the programmer I got was literally reading the question with its story without pasting it in the code editor. After asking him to repeat parts of the story I found out it's a Djikstra algorithim. We lost half of the interview just to clarify what has to be done because the story was way too long to read it out loud. Not enough time for clear implementation