Airbnb vs DE Shaw Interview Questions
Airbnb lists 63 LeetCode interview questions while DE Shaw lists 105. They share 9 problems — 14% of Airbnb's bank and 9% of DE Shaw's. Focus on the overlap first, then drill into 54 Airbnb-only and 96 DE Shaw-only questions.
Overview
Preparation Strategy
Step 1 — Shared core: Solve the 9 overlapping problems first. These are the highest-yield questions for candidates interviewing at both Airbnb and DE Shaw.
Step 2 — Company-specific depth: Add Airbnb-specific problems like Maximum Profit in Job Scheduling, Flatten 2D Vector, Smallest Common Region and DE Shaw-specific problems from the exclusive lists below.
Step 3 — Difficulty tuning: Airbnb skews harder in our data. Budget extra time for Hard problems if you are targeting that company.
Difficulty Comparison
Top Shared Topics
9 Shared Questions
High-priority problems to practice for both Airbnb and DE Shaw.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Text Justification | Hard |
| Trapping Rain Water | Hard |
| Two Sum | Easy |
| Word Search II | Hard |
| Valid Parentheses | Easy |
| House Robber | Medium |
| Basic Calculator II | Medium |
| Consecutive Numbers Sum | Hard |
| Flatten Nested List Iterator | Medium |
Unique to Airbnb (54)
Problems in Airbnb's list that do not appear at DE Shaw.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Maximum Profit in Job Scheduling | Hard |
| Flatten 2D Vector | Medium |
| Smallest Common Region | Medium |
| Palindrome Pairs | Hard |
| Maximum Candies You Can Get from Boxes | Hard |
| Pour Water | Medium |
| Sliding Puzzle | Hard |
| Design Excel Sum Formula | Hard |
| Intersection of Two Linked Lists | Easy |
| Alien Dictionary | Hard |
| Contains Duplicate II | Easy |
| Simple Bank System | Medium |
Unique to DE Shaw (96)
Problems in DE Shaw's list that do not appear at Airbnb.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many LeetCode questions do Airbnb and DE Shaw share?
Airbnb and DE Shaw share 9 LeetCode interview questions. 54 problems appear only in Airbnb's list and 96 appear only in DE Shaw's list.
What topics overlap most between Airbnb and DE Shaw?
The most common shared topics between Airbnb and DE Shaw are Array (5 shared questions), String (4 shared questions), Stack (4 shared questions), Dynamic Programming (2 shared questions), Math (2 shared questions). Mastering these areas prepares you for both companies.
Which company asks harder LeetCode questions: Airbnb or DE Shaw?
Airbnb has 11 Easy, 31 Medium, and 21 Hard questions. DE Shaw has 11 Easy, 64 Medium, and 30 Hard questions. Airbnb has a higher proportion of Hard problems in its interview set.
How should I prepare if interviewing at both Airbnb and DE Shaw?
Start with the 9 shared problems since they cover what both companies ask most often. Then add 20 Airbnb-specific and 20 DE Shaw-specific questions to round out your prep.