Google Drive / File Storage System Design with ACL

System DesignHarvey AILast reported July 2026High Frequency
Reported
11× across candidate reports
First seen
June 2025
Last reported
July 2026
Reported outcome
mixed

Problem Overview

Design a Google Drive-like file storage system. Core functional requirements: (1) file listing, (2) file upload and download, (3) file/folder sharing, (4) access control. The interviewer typically starts with a base scope and may add requirements during clarification. One common variant ('Data Room') restricts to PDF files only, emphasizes organization-level…

  • 7 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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