I started by estimating daily upload volume, which felt okay, but then I got tangled up trying to figure out storage cost per GB and whether to account for multiple resolution copies.
Break the problem into estimating total video upload volume (hours) and then converting that to storage cost using assumptions about resolution, codec, and storage tier. Structure your answer with clear assumptions, a step-by-step calculation, and a final cost estimate, while noting key sensitivities.
Pro tip: Anchor your estimate with a known metric (e.g., 500 hours of video uploaded per minute) and state that you'd validate it with internal data; this shows you can leverage public benchmarks and think like a Googler.
Calculate total hours of video uploaded in a year using a known rate (e.g., 500 hours/minute) and convert to seconds or bytes.
Assume an average resolution and bitrate (e.g., 1080p at 5 Mbps) to compute storage per hour of video.
Multiply total hours by storage per hour to get total petabytes or exabytes for the year.
Use a blended cost per GB per month for Google's storage infrastructure (e.g., $0.02/GB/month) and multiply by total GB and 12 months.
Compare your estimate to known data (e.g., total YouTube storage) and present the final incremental cost with key assumptions.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.