Applied online and received a quick call from a recruiter – pretty standard.

Next was a screening with an engineer, which focused on breaking down a problem and solution approach rather than a deep dive into coding. It felt more like a filtering round than a technical deep dive.

The onsite had three back-to-back rounds:

1. Coding: This round was straightforward but required clean code. The question involved optimizing a scheduling system.
2. Debugging: This involved working with a broken API service, tracing logs, identifying bottlenecks, and fixing memory leaks.
3. "Learning" + System Design: This round tested how quickly I could pick up a new concept, implement it, and then design a system with trade-offs. I was given a new library and had to integrate it into an existing system within minutes. The system design portion was standard, covering scaling, database choices, and failure handling.

The last round was with the hiring manager. The process was a little tough but structured.

I prepped using LeetCode, system design resources, and a few mocks on Prepfully (having an ex-Palantir coach was super helpful). I also made sure to understand Palantir's products and their use cases.

How would you optimize a given scheduling system?