OpenAI Coding & Algorithms Interview Questions
Preparing for OpenAI Coding & Algorithms interview questions requires recognizing that OpenAI blends classic algorithmic rigor with product- and safety-oriented thinking. Interviews test algorithmic problem solving, data structures, time/space trade-offs, clean testable code, and the ability to reason about scaling, failure modes, and abuse vectors for real systems. Expect a multi-stage process—recruiter screen, one or two technical screens (pair coding or timed coding), and a final loop of 4–6 interviews covering coding, system design, deep-dives, and behavioral questions—lasting a few hours over one or two days. For interview preparation, practice medium-to-hard coding problems, timed pair-coding, system design scenarios relevant to model serving and data pipelines, and prepare concise STAR examples that highlight ownership and collaboration. Read OpenAI’s public materials and be ready to discuss trade-offs, testing, and safety considerations. Emphasize clear communication, test coverage, and justifying design choices; interviewers value well-reasoned, production-minded answers over trick solutions. Bring specific examples of shipping code and measurable impact.
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Minimize deaths in spreading plant infection
You are given an m x n grid representing a garden: - 0: empty cell - 1: healthy plant - 2: infected plant The garden evolves day by day in the followi...
Convert IPv4 Ranges to CIDR Blocks
Implement a function that summarizes a consecutive IPv4 address range using the smallest possible list of CIDR blocks. You are given: - start_ip: a va...
Implement toy-language types and generic substitution
Problem: Toy Language Type System (Printing + Generic Resolution) You are implementing a small type system for a custom “Toy Language”. Types can be: ...
Find Minimum Compatible Version
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Simulate Turn-Based Monster Battles
Simulate a turn-based battle between two teams of monsters. Base problem: - Team A and Team B are ordered lists of monsters. - Each monster has at lea...
Schedule Incremental Labeling Tasks
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Count Nodes Using Asynchronous Messages
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Implement GPU credit ledger
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Implement Social Follow Recommendations
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Implement a Contiguous Memory Manager
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Implement a persistent sharded key-value store
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Implement KV store serialization
Implement serialization and deserialization for an in‑memory key‑value store to and from a contiguous bytes buffer. Keys are UTF‑8 strings; values may...
Implement an in-memory SQL-like table
Problem Implement a simple in-memory database for one table. All values are strings. Each row is identified by a rowKey (string). Each row contains co...
Simulate a Turn-Based Two-Player Game
Design and implement a simulator for a two-player turn-based board game similar to tic-tac-toe. Requirements: - The game is played on an n x n board. ...
Implement a serializable key-value store
Implement in C++ an in-memory key-value store with: - put(key: string, value: string), get(key) -> optional<string>, erase(key). - serialize() -> vect...
Implement type AST and infer generics
Toy language type system: AST + generic inference You are implementing a tiny type system for a toy language with: - Primitive types: char, int, float...
Implement a memory allocator with malloc/free
Problem You are implementing a simplified memory allocator over a contiguous memory region. Initialize the allocator with a fixed total size: - alloca...
Design a Versioned Social Follow Graph with Friend Recommendations
Design a Versioned Social Follow Graph with Friend Recommendations Build an in-memory service that maintains a directed follow graph between users and...
Manage GPU Credits with Expiration
Question Implement a GPU credit manager supporting out-of-order operations: API add_credit(id, amount, timestamp, expiration) // adds ‘amount’ credit...
Implement in-memory DB querying
Question Implement an in-memory database that supports: 1. Querying the whole table and returning only selected columns (projection). 2. Adding WHERE ...