Uber | Software Engineer | Interview Experience
Interview Date: Not specified
Result: Not specified
Difficulty: Not specified
Interview Process
The interview began with a phone screen focused on problem-solving and technical skills. The interviewer introduced themselves and inquired about my background. I was then tasked with the “Robot Grid Distance Challenge.”
Problem Statement
You are given a 2D grid of size m x n and a robot starting from the top left corner (0, 0). The robot can only move either down or right at any point in time. The robot is supposed to reach the bottom-right corner (m-1, n-1) in the shortest path possible. Calculate the distance covered by the robot to reach the destination. If it encounters any obstacles on the way, that path should be discarded.
The challenge was to implement a function that computes the distance efficiently using dynamic programming or depth-first search. The interviewer was particularly interested in my approach to the problem and whether I could optimize my solution. Overall, it was a good experience, and I appreciated the feedback given by the interviewer after my solution was presented.
In addition to the coding challenge, I was asked several behavioral questions regarding teamwork and how I handle conflicts in a software development environment.
Technical Questions
- Robot Grid Distance Challenge (Dynamic Programming, DFS)
Tips & Insights
Focus on explaining your thought process clearly during coding challenges and be prepared to discuss optimization strategies. Additionally, be ready to provide examples from your experience when answering behavioral questions.