HBO Max Data Scientist — Take‑Home Prompts

Context

You are applying for a Data Scientist role focused on consumer streaming. Answer the following concisely but concretely. Tie responses to user problems (e.g., discovery, personalization, retention) and practical data/ML approaches.

Questions

1. Motivation and Fit
   • Why do you want to work in streaming now, and why this team? Tie to specific user problems (e.g., discovery, personalization, retention) and how your background maps.
2. Competitive Landscape
   • Compare Disney+ vs. Netflix across: content strategy, pricing, bundling, international growth, and data/ML maturity.
   • What risks and opportunities do you see for HBO Max?
3. Post‑Merger Data Org Impacts and Plan
   • Discovery–WarnerMedia combined in early 2022. What second‑order impacts would such a merger have on the data organization (e.g., metric standardization, experiment platform consolidation, taxonomy conflicts, privacy/compliance)?
   • Propose a 90‑day plan to harmonize metrics and experimentation guardrails.
4. Cross‑Office Collaboration
   • Tell me about a time you had to deliver results across offices with heavy accents or communication barriers; how did you ensure alignment and psychological safety?
5. Dashboard Urgency
   • If leadership asks for a dashboard "ASAP," how do you clarify the decision it will inform, define success metrics, and push back on scope while maintaining trust?