← rippling Interview Insights

rippling·Software Engineer·Technical Phone Screen·Intermediate

Intermediate
Jun 2026

Summary

Got a tree/graph problem at Rippling for a software engineer role. The problem itself was pretty involved, two parts, and I spent more time than I'd like to admit just making sure I understood what 'level' meant before writing a single line of code.

Questions Asked (1)

Q1

Given an org chart represented as a tree with n employees, first find the maximum reporting depth (the longest root-to-leaf path measured in levels, where the CEO is level 1). Then, given a threshold h, find the minimum number of times you need to move a subtree directly under the CEO so that no employee exceeds level h.

Algorithms & Data Structures
Author's notes

Two-part question and the parts are pretty different in difficulty.

Create a free account to read the full note

AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

First, compute the maximum depth of the tree using DFS or BFS, tracking levels from the CEO as level 1. Then, to minimize subtree moves, identify all nodes at depth h+1 and move their entire subtrees directly under the CEO; the number of such nodes is the answer. Alternatively, use a greedy approach: repeatedly move the deepest node's subtree until all nodes are within level h, counting moves.

Pro tip: Clarify that moving a subtree under the CEO reduces the depth of all nodes in that subtree by the same amount, so moving a node at depth h+1 makes its subtree fit within h. Also, mention that the problem can be solved in O(n) time by computing depths and then counting nodes at depth h+1.

1. Understand the problem and clarify assumptions

Confirm that the tree is rooted at the CEO (level 1), and that moving a subtree means detaching it and attaching it directly under the CEO. Ask if multiple moves can be done sequentially and if the tree structure changes after each move.

2. Compute the maximum reporting depth

Perform a DFS or BFS from the root to find the maximum depth (number of levels). Keep track of the depth of each node, with the CEO at depth 1.

3. Identify nodes that exceed the threshold

If the maximum depth is less than or equal to h, no moves are needed. Otherwise, find all nodes at depth h+1. Each such node's subtree must be moved to ensure no employee exceeds level h.

4. Determine the minimum number of moves

The minimum number of moves equals the number of nodes at depth h+1, because moving each such node's subtree directly under the CEO reduces the depth of all nodes in that subtree by h, bringing them within level h. Moving a node at a shallower depth would not fix deeper nodes.

5. Validate with edge cases and complexity

Test with h=1 (only CEO allowed) and h >= max depth. Discuss time complexity: O(n) for traversal and counting, and space complexity O(n) for recursion or queue.

Key Points to Mention

  • Tree traversal (DFS/BFS) to compute depths and identify nodes at depth h+1.
  • Greedy strategy: moving subtrees rooted at depth h+1 is optimal because it fixes all deeper nodes with minimal moves.
  • Proof of optimality: any node deeper than h must have an ancestor at depth h+1, and moving that ancestor's subtree is necessary and sufficient.
  • Edge cases: h=1 (move all children of CEO), h >= max depth (0 moves), and skewed trees.
  • Time and space complexity: O(n) time, O(n) space for recursion/queue.
  • Clarify that moving a subtree does not change the relative depths within the subtree, only shifts them up.

AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.