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Interview questions from top companies, mapped to the exact round they show up in. Prep for what you will actually face.

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Online AssessmentDSA / CodingMachine CodingLow-Level Design

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The Loop aggregates publicly shared interview experiences and curated commonly-asked questions, each labeled with its source. Not affiliated with any company listed.

MIT · © 2026

← Airbnb

Senior Backend at Airbnb

BackendSeniorOffer◆ Commonly asked· 2023

Senior backend interview. Fundamentals mattered as much as getting to an answer.

The loop · 6 rounds

01

Round 01 · 3 questions

DSA / Coding

Data structures & algorithms on a whiteboard or shared editor.

  • Set matrix zeroes.
    SeniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #matrix
    PracticeLeetCode↗GeeksforGeeks↗
  • Number of islands in a 2D grid.
    SeniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #bfs#dfs#grid
    PracticeLeetCode↗GeeksforGeeks↗
  • Sliding window maximum.
    SeniorHard◆ Commonly asked
    #deque#sliding-window
    PracticeLeetCode↗GeeksforGeeks↗
02

Round 02 · 2 questions

Machine Coding

Build a working component or service under time pressure.

  • Implement a JSON config loader with env overrides.
    SeniorEasy◆ Commonly asked
    #config
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
  • Build a background job runner with priorities.
    SeniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #queue#workers
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
03

Round 03 · 2 questions

System Design

High-level architecture of a large-scale system.

  • Design a ride-matching backend (riders ↔ nearby drivers).
    SeniorHard◆ Commonly asked
    #geospatial#matching#realtime
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
  • Design a webhook delivery system with retries.
    SeniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #reliability#queues
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
04

Round 04 · 3 questions

Tech Deep-Dive

Deep questions on your core stack and fundamentals.

  • SQL vs NoSQL — how do you choose for a given workload?
    SeniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #databases
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
  • How does a write-ahead log guarantee durability?
    SeniorHard◆ Commonly asked
    #databases
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
  • Explain database replication lag and how to mitigate it.
    SeniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #databases#replication
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
05

Round 05 · 1 question

Hiring Manager

Scope, ownership, and role-fit discussion with the manager.

  • How do you handle disagreement with a product partner?
    Senior◆ Commonly asked
    #collaboration
06

Round 06 · 2 questions

Behavioral / HR

Values, collaboration, and past-experience (STAR) questions.

  • Describe something you shipped that you were not proud of.
    Senior◆ Commonly asked
    #tradeoffs#star
  • When did you take ownership of something outside your scope?
    Senior◆ Commonly asked
    #ownership#star

◆ This experience is composed from commonly reported questions for this role and level. Real, individually-shared interviews will be layered in over time.