Optimal Commute Assignment / Shortest Path with Multiple Transport Modes

Phone ScreenDatabricksLast reported August 2026High Frequency
Reported
30× across candidate reports
First seen
April 2025
Last reported
August 2026
Reported outcome
mixed

Problem Overview

You are commuting across a simplified map of San Francisco, represented as a 2D grid. Each cell is one of: 'S' (starting point / home), 'D' (destination / Databricks HQ), a digit '1'–'k' representing a street segment reserved for exactly one transportation mode, or 'X' (impassable roadblock). You are given…

  • 6 candidate-reported follow-ups — the exact probes interviewers asked, with the trigger for each
  • The rest of the problem statement — full requirements, constraints, and edge cases
  • Approach and trade-offs — what passing candidates did, and the mistakes that sink people
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Verified Source
Every question is reconstructed from multiple independent candidate reports. Verbatim follow-ups, not invented ones.
Codex Fact-Checked
Technical claims, formulas, and scale numbers are reviewed against primary sources.
Interviewer Follow-ups
The exact follow-ups reported by candidates, with the trigger that prompts each one — plus the mistakes that sink people.
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