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Interviews

Interview kit · iv-703

Onsite loop: Mateo Ruiz

Senior Robotics Software Engineer · Autonomy

Date
Thu, Oct 8
Time (ET)
9:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Length
4 h 30 min
Where
Pittsburgh HQ
Status
Completed

9:30 AM – 2:00 PM · 4 h 30 min

Timing

  1. 9:30 AM1 hSystem designDev Malhotra
  2. 10:45 AM1 hCode review exerciseMei Chen
  3. 12:00 PM45 minLunch with the Autonomy teamDev Malhotra
  4. 12:45 PM45 minField-log deep diveKenji Watanabe
  5. 1:30 PM30 minValues conversationHannah Becker

Interview kit

Questions by competency

Rated 1–4 on the scorecard

Onsite loop: exercises

  • System design: right-of-way between 40 robots and human pickers.
  • Code review of a real (sanitized) planner change.
  • Field-log deep dive with the Autonomy team.
  • Values conversation with the VP of Engineering.
  1. 01

    Robotics software design

    Breaks a planning problem into clean, testable modules.

    • Design right-of-way rules for 40 robots and human pickers in one aisle network.
    • How would you structure a planner so it can be tested without a robot?
  2. 02

    C++ and systems

    Writes safe, fast code; reasons about memory, threads and real-time limits.

    • Where would you expect latency in a 50 Hz planning loop, and how would you find it?
    • Walk through a memory or threading bug you shipped and fixed.
  3. 03

    Debugging on hardware

    Finds root causes from logs, bags and a robot that won't behave.

    • A robot oscillates at an aisle intersection. Walk through your debugging.
    • What do you look for first in a field log?
  4. 04

    Collaboration

    Works through disagreement; explains trade-offs to non-specialists.

    • Tell us about a design disagreement and how it was resolved.
    • How do you explain a trade-off to a customer or an operator?
  5. 05

    Ownership

    Follows problems into the field and closes the loop.

    • Describe a problem you followed from a bug report all the way into the field.
    • What did you do after the last incident you were part of?

4 of 4 in

Submitted scorecards

Strong yes

3

Yes

1

No

0

Strong no

0

  • Dev MalhotraEngineering Manager, Autonomy · Oct 8Strong yes
    Robotics software design
    C++ and systems
    Debugging on hardware
    Collaboration
    Ownership

    System design was the best we've seen this year: phased rollout, clear failure modes.

  • Mei ChenStaff Robotics Engineer · Oct 8Strong yes
    Robotics software design
    C++ and systems
    Debugging on hardware
    Collaboration
    Ownership

    Read the field log faster than most of the team. Asked great questions about our sim.

  • Hannah BeckerVP of Engineering · Oct 8Yes
    Robotics software design
    C++ and systems
    Debugging on hardware
    Collaboration
    Ownership

    Owns outcomes, kind in disagreement. Ready to mentor from day one.

  • Kenji WatanabeHead of Product · Oct 8Strong yes
    Robotics software design
    C++ and systems
    Debugging on hardware
    Collaboration
    Ownership

    Talks about operators, not just robots. Would be great in customer visits.