Algorithm Engineer Interview Experience - New York, New York
Process
After submitting my job application on their website, I received an email from HRT saying they liked my resume and would like to move forward with the interview process.
I was provided with a link to an online assessment and had one week to complete it. There was an option of taking the test in C++, C, or Java.
I appreciate that they gave me some room to study and didn't have any issues with using Google or my notes for syntax reference. However, the three interview questions were difficult to complete in the 2 hours and 5 minutes they allowed to take the test.
The first question took under 3 minutes to solve and was dead simple. The second question killed my overconfidence from the first question very quickly. The third question took longer to read than it took to actually answer the first one.
Advice: Don't let the first question fool you. The second won't be as friendly.
Questions
The program was already 99% complete. The function took a sentence as a string input. It then gets the first character of the string and you need to return "digit" if the first character was a number, "Upper" if it's a capital letter, or "Lower" if it's a lowercase letter.
Everything was already coded besides the three conditions to check for in the if/else statements.
Find the longest sequence of unique numbers in a binary tree starting at the root node. This means you need to find the longest path from the root node that doesn't contain any duplicate numbers.
This is pretty much the same as the Microsoft question in the link provided. I wasted too much time on question 2 and didn't get a chance to submit an answer, but I finished it for fun after the test.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 3 interview experiences for the Hudson River Trading Algorithm Engineer role in New York, New York.
Success Rate
Hudson River Trading's interview process for their Algorithm Engineer roles in New York, New York is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very negative feelings for Hudson River Trading's Algorithm Engineer interview process in New York, New York.
Hudson River Trading Work Experiences
- 2.0Decent Perks, Toxic GrowthAlgorithm Engineer • Current EmployeeNew York, New York, United StatesSeptember 11, 2025Pros: Ok-ish compensation and pretty good perksCons: Career growth is meh and increasingly toxic.
- 2.0Toxicity with a smileAlgorithm Engineer • Former EmployeeNew York, New York, United StatesApril 29, 2023Pros: - Good pay. - Great food. - Full access to the codebase. - I met some really great people that I'll remember forever. - Some C++ in the codebase is pretty cool. - Non-compete pay. - Some extremely talented individuals. - Great place for some people.Cons: I decided to leave HRT when they let someone I knew who is neuro-divergent go without warning. They never spoke to them about the situation, so they never had the opportunity to share their disability. This was due to conflict avoidance on their lead's part. Your experience depends heavily on which team you join: * Echo-chamber culture lacking ideological diversity. * Code reviews could feel more about demonstrating dominance instead of discussing tradeoffs. * Some smart people have trouble working with those who think and process differently. * Algo-devs > algo-engi, even over engi code. * Some parts of the code are terrible. * Smart people, some of whom are too sure of their knowledge and have to be right. * Someone said, "It feels like I'm getting hazed by the code." The reply was, "Welcome to HRT." * Leads seem inexperienced at getting the most out of people and tapping into their strengths. * Leads admitted there was a problem on a team but did not step in, deeming it most profitable to let the golden goose run amok. * I regretted joining, and unfortunately, the pay and smiles made me feel I should like it and be appreciative. Think of a rich, psychologically domineering, and abusive husband. After leaving, my headspace improved greatly. They have so much potential. Unfortunately, some toxic personas run amok. It depends heavily on what team you get put on.
- 5.0I've programmed on many of the teams at HRT.Algorithm Engineer • Current EmployeeNew York, New York, United StatesMarch 22, 2017Pros: People are ridiculously smart, compensation is highly competitive, and there are great engineering practices. There is virtually no bureaucracy.Cons: The interview can be very difficult; it's hard work to measure up to your peers.
Hudson River Trading Interview Questions
