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Snapchat·Software Engineer·Technical Phone Screen·Intermediate

IntermediatePrefer not to say
Jun 2026

Summary

Two coding problems back to back for a Snapchat SWE screen. The LRU cache is a classic but the prime subsets question was a nice change of pace, less rote than I expected.

Questions Asked (2)

Q1

Implement an LRU cache with get and put operations, both running in O(1) average time.

Algorithms & Data StructuresTechnical Trade-offs
Author's notes

I knew this one cold so I jumped straight to doubly linked list plus hashmap.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Start by clarifying the requirements and constraints, then propose a design using a hash map and a doubly linked list to achieve O(1) operations. Explain how get and put work, including eviction of the least recently used item when capacity is exceeded, and discuss trade-offs such as concurrency and memory overhead.

Pro tip: Mention that you would use a doubly linked list (not singly) to allow O(1) removal of a node given its reference, and consider using a sentinel head/tail to simplify edge cases. Also, briefly discuss how you would handle thread safety if needed, showing awareness of real-world usage.

1. Clarify requirements

Confirm the cache capacity, expected operations (get/put), and whether thread safety is required. Ask about edge cases like capacity 0 or 1.

2. Choose data structures

Select a hash map for O(1) key lookup and a doubly linked list to maintain recency order. Explain why a singly linked list or array would not achieve O(1) for all operations.

3. Define operations

Describe get: if key exists, move node to front (most recently used) and return value; else return -1. Describe put: if key exists, update value and move to front; else insert new node at front and evict least recently used (tail) if over capacity.

4. Handle edge cases

Discuss handling capacity 0 (no storage), updating existing keys, and ensuring the linked list and hash map stay in sync. Mention using sentinel nodes to simplify insertion/removal.

5. Analyze complexity and trade-offs

State that both operations are O(1) average time due to hash map and linked list. Discuss space O(capacity). Mention potential improvements like thread safety or using a different eviction policy.

Key Points to Mention

  • Hash map provides O(1) average lookup, but needs to store references to linked list nodes.
  • Doubly linked list allows O(1) removal and insertion at both ends, maintaining recency order.
  • Eviction policy: remove the least recently used item, which is at the tail of the list.
  • Sentinel nodes (dummy head and tail) simplify edge cases and avoid null checks.
  • Time complexity: O(1) average for get and put; space complexity: O(capacity).
  • Trade-offs: concurrency (e.g., using locks or concurrent data structures), memory overhead of pointers, and alternative eviction policies like LFU.

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

Q2

Given an array of distinct prime numbers, return a sorted list of all unique products that can be formed from any non-empty subset of those primes.

Algorithms & Data Structures
Author's notes

Didn't see this coming.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Clarify that the problem is essentially generating all subset products of the given primes and returning them in sorted order. Discuss a recursive/backtracking approach that builds products incrementally, then sorts the result, or a BFS/priority queue approach that generates products in sorted order without a final sort. Analyze time and space complexity, noting that the output size is 2^n - 1.

Pro tip: Mention that since the primes are distinct, all subset products are unique, so no deduplication is needed; this simplifies the solution and avoids unnecessary overhead. Also, discuss the trade-offs between generating all products and sorting versus using a min-heap to produce sorted output on the fly, especially when the number of primes is large.

1. Clarify the problem and constraints

Confirm that the input is an array of distinct primes, and the output should be a sorted list of all unique products from non-empty subsets. Ask about constraints like the maximum number of primes (n) to determine if exponential time is acceptable.

2. Choose an approach

Decide between a simple recursive/iterative generation followed by sorting, or a more efficient generation using a min-heap to produce sorted order directly. Explain the trade-offs.

3. Implement the solution

Write code to generate all subset products. For the recursive approach, start with an empty product and for each prime, multiply it with existing products. For the heap approach, initialize with the smallest prime and use a min-heap to generate products in increasing order.

4. Analyze complexity

State that the number of products is 2^n - 1, so time complexity is at least O(2^n) and space O(2^n) for the output. If sorting, add O(2^n log 2^n) time. The heap approach can be O(2^n log 2^n) as well but may avoid a full sort.

5. Test and handle edge cases

Test with small arrays (e.g., [2,3] -> [2,3,6]) and consider edge cases like empty array (return empty list) or single prime. Ensure the solution handles large n gracefully if constraints allow.

Key Points to Mention

  • The number of subsets is 2^n, so the output size is exponential; this is inherent to the problem.
  • Since primes are distinct, all subset products are unique, so no deduplication is needed.
  • Recursive/backtracking generation is simple but requires sorting at the end.
  • A min-heap can generate products in sorted order without a final sort, but may use more memory.
  • Time complexity is O(2^n log 2^n) if sorting, or O(2^n log 2^n) with heap; space O(2^n).
  • Edge cases: empty input, single prime, and large n where exponential output is impractical.

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