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Stripe·Software Engineer·Technical Phone Screen·Intermediate

Intermediate
Jun 2026

Summary

Stripe coding screen for a software engineering role. One problem, fairly self-contained, but the edge cases add up fast if you're not careful about how you model the state.

Questions Asked (1)

Q1

Given a stream of transactions where each transaction can charge a fee and modify one or more account balances, process all transactions and return every account that ends up with a non-zero balance.

Algorithms & Data StructuresData Modeling
Author's notes

Feels straightforward until you realize fees and multi-account updates mean you can't just do a simple running total per account.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Clarify the transaction format and constraints, then propose a hash map to track account balances, updating each account as transactions are processed. After processing, iterate through the map to collect accounts with non-zero balances, discussing time and space complexity.

Pro tip: Mention that you would use a hash map for O(1) average-time updates and that you'd only keep non-zero balances to save memory, showing awareness of real-world efficiency.

1. Clarify requirements and constraints

Ask about the transaction format, account identifier type, fee handling, and whether balances can be negative. Confirm if the stream is bounded or infinite.

2. Choose data structures

Select a hash map (dictionary) to map account IDs to balances, enabling O(1) average-time updates. Consider if a balanced tree is needed for ordered output.

3. Process transactions

Iterate through each transaction: apply the fee (if any) and update the balances of all involved accounts. Remove accounts from the map if their balance becomes zero to optimize memory.

4. Collect non-zero balances

After processing all transactions, iterate through the map and return all accounts with a non-zero balance. If the map only contains non-zero balances, simply return its keys.

5. Analyze complexity and edge cases

State the time complexity O(T + A) where T is number of transactions and A is number of accounts, and space O(A). Discuss edge cases like zero balances, negative balances, and duplicate accounts.

Key Points to Mention

  • Use a hash map for O(1) average-time balance updates.
  • Handle fees correctly: deduct from the charged account or split as specified.
  • Remove accounts with zero balance to save memory and simplify final collection.
  • Consider negative balances and whether they should be included (non-zero includes negative).
  • Time complexity: O(T + A) where T is transactions and A is accounts; space O(A).
  • Edge cases: empty stream, transactions with no accounts, multiple modifications to same account.

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