How do you conduct a code review exercise?
Company: Airbnb
Role: Software Engineer
Category: Software Engineering Fundamentals
Difficulty: hard
Interview Round: Onsite
In a live interview, you are shown a short code change (a diff or a function) and asked to write code review comments with minimal back-and-forth.
What is your structured approach to producing high-signal review feedback?
Include:
- The categories of issues you look for (correctness, edge cases, security, performance, readability, testing, API design, observability)
- How you prioritize comments (blockers vs nits)
- Examples of well-written review comments (what you would actually type)
- How you handle missing context/requirements during the review
Quick Answer: This question evaluates a candidate's competency in performing focused code reviews, including identifying issues across correctness, edge cases, security, performance, readability, testing, API design, and observability, along with prioritization of feedback and clear written communication.