Shortest Path in a Grid with Limited Obstacle Removal
Company: ByteDance
Role: Software Engineer
Category: Coding & Algorithms
Difficulty: medium
Interview Round: Technical Screen
Overview: This question evaluates a candidate's ability to extend classic breadth-first search into a state-augmented shortest-path problem, where the state includes both grid position and remaining obstacle-removal budget. It tests graph traversal skills, edge-case reasoning, and the ability to recognize when a standard algorithm needs an additional dimension, a pattern frequently used to assess coding and algorithms proficiency at a practical, implementation-level depth.