I went through a couple of interview rounds at The Trade Desk and had mixed feelings about the process.

Round 1: Technical Exercise The first round involved implementing a set-associative cache. One positive was that the exercise details were shared in advance, giving enough time to prepare, which I appreciated. However, the interviewer joined 10 minutes late and casually mentioned they were late because of lunch. While it may seem minor, this came across as unprofessional and left a negative first impression.

Round 2: Conversation with Hiring Manager and Staff Engineer The second round was more focused on soft skills—discussing previous projects, communication clarity, and presentation abilities, which is fair for a senior-level position. The conversation itself was fine and allowed me to highlight my experience and approach to complex projects.

Main Concern: Communication Post-Interview What stood out negatively was the lack of communication after the interviews. Despite following up via email, I never received a response from the recruiter. It’s disappointing when companies don’t close the loop with candidates, especially after multiple interview rounds. It left me with the impression that candidate experience may not be a priority at The Trade Desk.

Final Thoughts While the technical and behavioral parts of the interview were reasonably well-structured, the professionalism and communication throughout could be improved. Candidates invest time and energy preparing and interviewing—basic follow-up is the minimum expectation.

Implement n-way set associative cache