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Pinduoduo·Software Engineer·Technical Phone Screen·Intermediate

IntermediatePrefer not to say
May 2026

Summary

Pinduoduo software engineer interview with a classic stack problem that sounds easy until you actually have to explain the O(n) approach under pressure.

Questions Asked (1)

Q1

Given two arrays where the first is a subset of the second, find the next greater element (to the right) in the second array for each element in the first array. Return -1 if none exists.

Algorithms & Data Structures
Author's notes

My first instinct was brute force, just scan right for each element and call it a day.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Use a monotonic decreasing stack to precompute the next greater element for every element in the second array in O(n) time, storing results in a hash map. Then iterate through the first array and look up each element's next greater element in the map, returning -1 if not found.

Pro tip: Mention that the stack stores indices or values in decreasing order, and that the hash map allows O(1) lookups for the subset array. This demonstrates you understand the trade-off between preprocessing and query time.

1. Clarify the problem

Confirm that the first array is a subset of the second, and that 'next greater to the right' means the first element greater than the current element when scanning rightwards in the second array.

2. Choose the optimal data structure

Select a monotonic decreasing stack to efficiently find the next greater element for each element in the second array, and a hash map to store the results for O(1) lookups.

3. Preprocess the second array

Iterate through the second array, maintaining a decreasing stack. For each element, pop elements smaller than it and record the current element as their next greater element in the hash map. Push the current element onto the stack.

4. Answer queries for the first array

For each element in the first array, retrieve its next greater element from the hash map. If not present, return -1.

5. Analyze complexity

State that the time complexity is O(n + m) where n and m are the lengths of the second and first arrays respectively, and space complexity is O(n) for the stack and hash map.

Key Points to Mention

  • Monotonic stack technique for next greater element
  • Hash map for O(1) lookups of precomputed results
  • Time complexity: O(n + m) where n = len(second), m = len(first)
  • Space complexity: O(n) for stack and hash map
  • Handling elements with no greater element by returning -1
  • The first array is a subset, so all its elements exist in the second array

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